SHERWIN CODY !_»«« wot: UC-NRLF 1 nil ill 3MM \ I 1 ■ ^ '^^^^^fe: Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/businesspracticeOOcodyrich ' Business Practice Up To Date With Commercial Map of the United States By SHERWIN CODY Author of "How to Do Easiness by Letter" "The Art of Writing and Speaking the English Language," "Short Coarse in Advertising," etc. i Published by the SCHOOL OF ENGLISH CHICAGO Copyright 1913 By Sherwin Cody PUBLISHER'S PREFACE In the preparation of a book of this kind the experience of a business man must unite with the skill of the trained edu- cator. The pedagogical skill is the more important, but the professional teacher who takes his "experience" at second hand nearly always gets things out of proportion. Unimportant matters are given as much attention as important matters; antiquated usages are included with current usages. The per- spective is wrong. The author of this book is not only a business man daily engaged in business practice, but he is recognized as an au- thority in the business world. At the same time the fact that his text on correspondence is one of the most widely used in the schools proves that he understands the needs of class in- struction. In this book will be found the best current business prac- tice, seen in the true perspective of actual business, unham- pered by traditional errors, yet from the point of view of the beginner. The teaching system, perfected by the aid of several ex- perienced and successful commercial teachers, including Mr. D. D. Mueller of the Mueller School, Cincinnati, and Stephen Dwan of the Seattle High School, one of the most practical educators in the United States, will be found in a separate exercise book, supplied free to schools. This includes all the necessary letterheads, blank forms, etc., with explicit direc- tions for preparing exercises. Mr. Cody's previous book, "How to Do Business by Let- ter," of which over a hundred thousand copies have been sold, was largely perfected for teaching purposes by the aid of Mr. Dwan. To Mr. H. A. Grammes of Grammes & Sons, Allentown. Pa., the author is indebted for many valuable suggestions from the point of view of the active business man. :^os4()q CONTENTS Page How to Succeed in Business 7 How to Arrange a Business Letter Attractively, illustrated.... 11 Getting Out a Day's Dictation 15 Office Appliances 22 Business Papers, illustrated 28 Transportation, illustrated 59 How to Prepare Legal Forms, illustrated 7Z Filing, illustrated 90 Duties of a Private Secretary 104 Printing, illustrated 123 Getting a Job and Keeping It 135 Appendix A, Commercial Geography 144 Appendix B, Principles of Success in Business 157 Appendix C, Office Salesmanship 183 Appendix D, Part I, Simple Foundation Principles of Loose- leaf and Card Systems, illustrated 207 Appendix D, Part II, Exercises on How to Systematize an Office 233 Customs and Regulations of the Postoffice 254 Business Practice Up to Date CHAPTER I How to Succeed in Business 1. The first requirement of an employee in business is trustworthiness. You may not believe it, but some very stupid persons have excellent positions for the reason that they can always be depended on, they attend to their work faithfully even when they feel sick, they are always on time in the morning, they are not in too much of a hurry to get away at night, they do not indulge in much social gossip dur- ing business hours but attend closely to their duties. Faith- fulness is the greatest virtue in business life — all wise business men agree on this. It is even the basis of credit when men get into business for themselves, for a man who was a faithful employee will be trusted even when he has no money at all, where the man with money but reputed to be unfaithful will get very little credit. 2. The second great requirement in business is initiative — the ability to go ahead and do things without being told, the exercise of common-sense judgment, courtesy, tact, and a pleasant manner in dealing with customers, and a conception of what the boss is driving at, what he wants to get done. This may be called a natural talent and adaptability for business, but it can be very largely cultivated. 3. The third requirement of the business man is experi- ence. Experience is the substitute for talent. If you do not have a mind that tells you what to do instinctively, you can patiently learn by experience what you are expected to do, and 8 ^BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE when yoil knQw^wtiatg^ou ought to do you will have no trouble in goingeihead-ahd dQi^g M^at the business man wants done, what he pays you for. This book is to help you get experience — to teach you some of the things you would otherwise have to learn in the business office during the time for which you. are paid to do work. If you must spend your time learning to do things, it is obvious that you cannot earn as much as you would after you know how ; and often when you learn on the business man's time he keeps you on a low salary after you have learned so that he may make up what he lost while you are learning. If you are prepared in advance you will not only get a better salary to start with, but you will get more rapid advancement. Here are some of the things you ought to be familiar with so you will not have to be told in too much detail : a. You are likely to get into an office where any sort of letterhead is in use, or even where several different kinds of letterheads are used for different purposes. It is important that you be able to place a letter of any length, long, short, or medium, on any kind of letterhead so it will have a handsome appearance. That is the first thing a business man looks at — if your letters look really handsome, and are free from erasures, and are reasonably accurate, you have probably secured your position against possibility of discharge. The appearance of your letter under different conditions is a very important thing. b. You must be prepared to attend to all the different things that go with letter writing, such as making enclosures, sending circulars and catalogues, properly sealing and stamp- ing letters and other mail matter. Very often you will have to figure out bad signatures, complete imperfect addresses, as when a letter comes from a foreign town and the country is not given, or the state is not given, and the like. c. You will be expected to meet callers, answer the tele- phone, and reply intelligently to all sorts of inquiries. To the HOW TO SUCCEED IX BUSINESS 9 business man this is just as important a part of your duties as writing letters or keeping books. d. You will be expected to file letters, look after copies of what is dictated, make indexes, fill in and send out form letters at the proper time without being told, except at the beginning, look after order-books, make shipments by mail, express, or freight, trace lost shipments, see that orders for goods or sta- tionery the firm wants are filled promptly, etc., etc. e. You may, if you are in a small office, be expected to look after many small checks, money orders, etc., that come in letters, list them on a deposit ticket preparatory to going to the bank with them, and then take them to the bank and have them entered on the bank book. There are many little details of endorsement, classifying, etc., that are important. f. There will be blank forms, legal forms, invoices, state- ments, tabulations, etc., etc., to make for various purposes. g. There will be machines to run, reference books to use in getting information of various kinds, and a thousand and one little points which you will be asked to look up. Will you look blank and stupid when these things are asked of you ? Or will you say, "Oh, I know how to do that !" and catch the idea with a very brief explanation instead of having to be told three or four times over before you get the thing right? Don't be too sure of yourself, don't be in too much of a hurry to do the thing on your own initiative, for at the best you will have much to learn after you get started in actual business practice. It is always better to ask than to make a bad mistake through going ahead without knowing exactly what you ought to do. Try to find the happy medium — take some chances, but not too many, don't look like a fool when a new task is suggested, but don't be in too great a hurry to tackle it. Seek and find the golden mean, and remember that you can't know too much — and you must always go on learning. 10 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE r Now ask yourself these questions: Am I tidy — with clean hands, clean nails, orderly hair, clothes brushed, shoes shined? The clean and wholesome boy or girl is worth at least $2 a week more on that account alone. Do I take enough exercise in the open air, bathe fre- quently, and eat sensible foods? Lack of attention to these details makes one heavy and stupid, and decreases efficiency. In the course of six months or a year, careful attention to these matters bearing on personal efficiency will mean an in- crease in salary of at least $2 a week. Do I have a cheerful, smiling face, and am I ready to do quickly and readily anything that may be asked of me, even if it is sweeping the office floor or sewing on a button for the office boy? The cheerful, alert, willing person is the last one to be laid off when times are hard or business slack. Most men want to get rid of a sour countenance at the first oppor- tunity. Your employer will even know whether you are up nights engaged in pleasure or resting to fit yourself for the next day's work. Trespassing on the eight hours for sleep is steal- ing from your employer as much as if you put your hand in his cash drawer. There is one other thing that is very important. Every em- ployer lays emphasis on the word "confidential." Everything that passes in any business office is confidential, no matter how trivial it may be. ' Outside the office you should forget business entirely, never talk of it with friends young or old, in- terest yourself in the pleasures and refinements of life, and make the most of your leisure. Then you will have no occa- sion even to mention outside what goes on in the office, not even to the members of your family. To summarize, then, the ideal business person is plain in dress, simple, clean, neat, cheerful, willing, eager to be of service in any or every way without being interfering or a nuisance, a faithful worker in the office, able to enjoy life out of the office, close-mouthed, faithful, and able to go ahead without being told. HOW TO ARRANGE A LETTER 11 CHAPTER II How to Arrange a Business Letter Attractively. Different kinds of letters need to be arranged in different ways. Usually a stenographer has one way, which is good for one sort of letter, but very poorly adapted for other kinds. First, set the marginal stops so that a reasonable margin is left on either side of the standard letter sheet, which is 8>^xll inches. This means five extra spaces of indentation on either side, leaving 60 writing spaces in the middle for the large size of typewriter type and about 70 spaces for the elite machines. NEVER write all the way across the page so the margins are reduced to half an inch unless there is some very special reason for doing so. Uniform white space all around the typewritten letter is the modern ideal. For letters of medium length the best style is single- spacing, with double spaces between the paragraphs as well as before and after the salutation. See Fig, 1. On different letterheads the writing should begin at differ- ent distances from the top of the sheet. Some stenographers crowd the letter all the way to the top, while others drop the beginning so that half the first page is wasted. The happy medium is always the best. On an ordinary medium letterhead, in which the type is centered and occupies say three-quarters of an inch, the date shouW be put close to the type and two to five blank spaces should be left before beginning the name of the person ad- dressed. When the letterhead is a small corner affair, so that the date cannot be put near the type, it should be placed at the right nearly opposite the lowest line of type. Then one to three blank spaces may be left before writing the name of the person addressed. 12 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE WANAMAKER. CARSON. FIELD & CO. ffCTAILCnS. WHOLESAL^'VS. MANUFACTURERS CHICAGO. FA. 25. 1919. Mr. J«ff«ron P. »ly, S513 Broad St., Cleveland, Oilo. Bear Sir: We hare recelTed your request for a quotation on King Holland window shades to be used as translucent screens In con- nection with reflecting lanterns, as well as shadss aade In our best opaque white shade cloth. A screen 60 Inches wide by seven feet long, aounted on Hartshorn rollsr, and prorldsd with brackets for mounting, would cost you $1.50 In lots of one hundred at a tins. Opaque screens seven feet square, made of our best white opaque shadecloth, mounted on Hartshorn roller and provided with brackets for mounting, would cost you $2.25 each in lots of one hundred at' a time. Wo could make deliveries In from a week to ten days after order was received. Each screen would be packed separately In heavy paper. We could also arrange to pack and ship thsm Individually to any part of the country. If you wish to have us maks a quotation on this service also. Will you kindly Inform us about When you expect to plaoe an order for screens of this sort? If It Is dselrable we nl^t have our New York representative call to aee you. In any case we hope you will find theae quotations attractive. Very truly yours, Wanamaksr, Carson, 71eld k Co., By Fig. 1. If the name of the person addressed is placed at the end of the letter, and the salutation begins the main part of the letter, at least two blank spaces should be left below the date line, or the body of the letter will seem crowded against the top. Train the eye to secure balance, whatever the condi- tions may be. Getting a trained eye is better than trying to remember rules. HOW TO ARRANGE A LETTER 13 WANAMAKER. CARSON, FIELD & CO. nCTAILCRS WHOCCSALEItS. MANU'ACTURCnS CHICAGO. Feb. 25, 19X9* Mr. Jtffaraon P. Cly, Z513 Bra«d St., Cl0T«l«nd, Ohio. 9*ar Sir: w« hare a ca^)l« fron our Pari* correapondant Inforalnc ua thJkt ha haa thla day aallad quotation on tha corral nackXace* for ahlch you wera Inquiring not long ago. Aa eoon aa hla latter la recalvad you ahall haar fro« ua furthar. Vary truly youra, VanawUar, Caraoa, Plaid & Co., By Fig. 2. Short letters should be uniformly double-spaced, but in such letters quotations may be single-spaced and indented. See Figs. 2 and 3. If a letter fills more than one page, continue it on a blank sheet of the same kind of paper as the letterhead, or a special printed sheet intended for second pages. It is usually best to write the full name of the person addressed at the top of the second page, and then a dash and the figure 2. Initials are sometimes used, and many simply write the figure 2; but in such cases there is always danger that the second pages of diflferent letters will get mixed. When the full name is written on the top of the second page this danger is removed. The writing at the top of the second page may be dropped about an inch, not much more, and not much less. Note-size letter paper, sometimes used for the private let- ters of business men, is rather hard to get through the type- writer so it does not pull on one side or the other, owing to the stiflfness of the fold. For such letters the marginal stops need to be specially set, and also the paper guides. In all letters try to make the ends of the lines as even as 14 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE WANAMAKER. CARSON, FIELD & CO. Rf TAlttBS, WHOUCSALERa. MANUFACTURERS CHICAGO. lUrch 2, 1919. Mr. 7«rrarson P. tXy, 8513 Broad St., Clevaland, Ohio. Dear Sir: W« have Juat racelved froai our Parla eorreapondant th« followlne quotation on the corral necklacea deacrlbed In your letter of January 29: "Corral necklaces of genuine atonea averaging forty atllllnietres In dlasieter, necklace thirty-five centimetres long, In lota of two dozen at a time, three hundred franca each If made up of perfect stones of medium light pink color, or thirty-five francs each If of selected seconds showing slight flawa and varylnc two or three shades lighter or darker than the standard." As the price depends eo largely on the Judgment of the buyer, we would euggest that you place your order and leav« the matter of price sometfhat open, depending on the aklll of our Paris buyer to secure for you extra value. In atones which his long experience has shown him will be satisfactory to the average retail purchaser. In any case we shall be glad to follow your Instructions as closely as possible If you will place an order wit Very truly yours, Vanamaker, Carson, Field tc Co., By Fig. 3. possible by returning the carriage as soon as the bell rings, so the righthand side of the letter will not look ragged. Be sure to clean your type every day, keep a good, fresh ribbon on the machine, use a shield in making erasures, and very carefully avoid anything that causes an untidy appear- GETTING OUT A DAY'S DICTATION 15 ance. If you choose the color of the ribbon, try to get a color that will harmonize with the color of the paper. Never use disfigured sheets of paper, for the business man can far better afford to have a spoiled sheet thrown away than to risk send- ing an untidy letter to a customer on whom business depends. This includes sheets used for carbons. An even touch is very important to give a uniform appear- ance to a letter, and it is important that the platen be kept in fresh condition. It ought to be renewed once a year, as the rubber gets hard and the type will not print clearly. CHAPTER III • Getting Out a Day's Dictation Learning the Style of the Office. When you get a posi- tion the first thing to do is to find out just how letters are written in that particular office. This you can readily do by looking at the files or copybook. Are all names preceded by Mr., Messrs., or the like? What salutation is commonly used, and what punctuation follows it? What is the usual complimentary close employed by the house? Are the initials of the dictator and the stenographer on every letter, and just how are they placed? Are letters numbered for reply, are they signed personally, or is the reply to be directed to a certain department? How do the letters usually run as to length, and what form of spacing prevails? Note the answers to these questions on a slip of paper for your own reference, so you will not have to guess or look them up a second time. Getting Familiar with the 'Typewriter. Every typewriter has its peculiarities of touch, ribbon movement, spacing; or the like, and you should immediately copy a few letters on the 16 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE machine, so you will catch the touch of the carriage move- ment, and know the tension is right for you. The best way is to copy some of the copies of letters in the file, for then you will become accustomed to the dictation you will receive, get the form that prevails in the house, all at the same time that you are getting used to the machine. Ready for Dictation. When you are called to take dicta- tion, be sure you have several sharp pencils — not one, but SEVERAL — so if you break one you will not waste time sharpening the point. Also have the book open at the right place, so you will not waste time finding it. Pull out the writing slide of your employer's desk and sit very quietly for him to begin. Remember that he is engaged in thinking what he must say in his letters, and anything that will make him nervous will interfere with that thought. You should therefore be as quiet as possible, never drumming or tapping or shuffling your feet, or wiggling in your chair. Be Sure You Understand What You Write. I think I have seldom had a stenographer come into my office who did not begin with putting into nearly every letter taken down one or two absurd words which I did not dictate, and when I have called attention to them I have heard the explanation, ''Well, that is what I thought you said ?" "But did it make sense?" **I didn't understand it myself, but I thought it was all right because that was what you said." "IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS SAID IN A LETTER, HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE THE CUS- TOMER WILL UNDERSTAND? We have one rule in this office which is more important than all others. It is this: NEVER PUT DOWN ON PAPER A WORD YOU DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND, or a name you are not sure about. You are expected to as]c and find out the meaning of anything that does not seem to you entirely obvious." Most dictators do not like to be interrupted, as they are likely then to lose the train of their thoughts. If when you GETTING OUT A DAY'S DICTATION 17 are taking dictation you are not sure of a word, make a wavy line down the side of the paper, and when the letter is finished, at once inquire about it ; or inquire when the dictation is en- tirely finished. It is best to ask at the end of each letter. Always get the original letter and read it over before writing out your letter. Then you will know what the dic- tator ought to say. Names and Addresses. Some dictators give the names and addresses of the persons to whom they are writing, while others simply number the letters, putting the same number on the letter to which they are replying and letting the stenographer get the name and address from that letter. The best way is to ask the dictator to hand you the letter when he finishes dictating the answer, and then you can yourself place on the letter the number which you have already placed at the beginning of the dictated reply. Then you can be sure the numbers correspond. When names and addresses are dictated, be sure you get the spelling of the names accurately, and are sure about the street numbers. Letters that are not replies to other letters will have to be taken in this manner. When you are preparing to write out your letter, it is often a trifle difficult to make out the right name and ad- dress. The handwriting of the signature may be illegible. Usually you can find the initials in the lower left-hand corner. Always look there, or elsewhere on the letter, for initials in case of doubt. Never address a letter to a large city without the street number or building. When you lay before your employer an envelope with the address "John Smith, New York City," you may know in advance that that is wrong, even if you cannot find the street number on the letter. In such cases you must inquire about the address. In case of a few large houses, no street number is required. Sometimes you will find on the letterhead several diflFerent addresses. In such cases you look for the city froni which the 16 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE machine, so you will catch the touch of the carriage move- ment, and know the tension is right for you. The best way is to copy some of the copies of letters in the file, for then you will become accustomed to the dictation you will receive, get the form that prevails in the house, all at the same time that you are getting used to the machine. Ready for Dictation. When you are called to take dicta- tion, be sure you have several sharp pencils — not one, but SEVERAL — so if you break one you will not waste time sharpening the point. Also have the book open at the right place, so you will not waste time finding it. Pull out the writing slide of your employer's desk and sit very quietly for him to begin. Remember that he is engaged in thinking what he must say in his letters, and anything that will make him nervous will interfere with that thought. You should therefore be as quiet as possible, never drumming or tapping or shuffling your feet, or wiggling in your chair. Be Sure You Understand What You Write. I think I have seldom had a stenographer come into my office who did not begin with putting into nearly every letter taken down one or two absurd words which I did not dictate, and when I have called attention to them I have heard the explanation, "Well, that is what I thought you said ?" "But did it make sense?" "I didn't understand it myself, but I thought it was all right because that was what you said." "IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS SAID IN A LETTER, HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE THE CUS- TOMER WILL UNDERSTAND? We have one rule in this office which is more important than all others. It is this: NEVER PUT DOWN ON PAPER A WORD YOU DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND, or a name you are not sure about. You are expected to asj? and find out the meaning of anything that does not seem to you entirely obvious." Most dictators do not like to be interrupted, as they arc likely then to lose the train of their thoughts. If when you GETTING OUT A DAY'S DICTATION 17 are taking dictation you are not sure of a word, make a wavy line down the side of the paper, and when the letter is finished, at once inquire about it; or inquire when the dictation is en- tirely finished. It is best to ask at the end of each letter. Always get the original letter and read it over before writing out your letter. Then you will know what the dic- tator ought to say. Names and Addresses. Some dictators give the names and addresses of the persons to whom they are writing, while others simply number the letters, putting the same number on the letter to which they are replying and letting the stenographer get the name and address from that letter. The best way is to ask the dictator to hand you the letter when he finishes dictating the answer, and then you can yourself place on the letter the number which you have already placed at the beginning of the dictated reply. Then you can be sure the numbers correspond. When names and addresses are dictated, be sure you get the spelling of the names accurately, and are sure about the street numbers. Letters that are not replies to other letters will have to be taken in this manner. When you are preparing to write out your letter, it is often a trifle difficult to make out the right name and ad- dress. The handwriting of the signature may be illegible. Usually you can find the initials in the lower left-hand corner. Always look there, or elsewhere on the letter, for initials in case of doubt. Never address a letter to a large city without the street number or building. When you lay before your employer an envelope with the address "John Smith, New York City," you may know in advance that that is wrong, even if you cannot find the street number on the letter. In such cases you must inquire about the address. In case of a few large houses, no street number is required Sometimes you will find on the letterhead several different addresses. In such cases you look for the city froni which the 20 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE the meaning clearer, and never omit one that may leave the meaning obscure or difficult to follow." Stenographers are alw^ays expected to correct distinct errors of grammar, but it is seldom safe to change the actual wording except in such a way that the dictator is not likely to notice it. Any stenographer who undertook to revise the slang a business man has dictated and substitute perfectly proper expressions would not long be tolerated. The dictator usually knows what he wants to say, and about how he wants to say it; but he does like to have his little slips and inad- vertencies corrected if the correction does not alter the meaning or diminish the force of the expression. Reading Back. Promptness in finding any passage that has been dictated and in reading it back will always make a hit with the dictator, and the best way to be able to do this readily is to spend all the waiting time you have in looking over the notes just taken down, so you can decide in your own mind on the paragraphing, sentences, etc., and get the general drift of the meaning. The waits are good times also for making sure you have the names correct. Looking these things over while they are fresh in mind will help you to fix them so you will remember them longer, and will greatly shorten the time needed to get out dictation. Preparing Letters for Signature and Mailing. Each letter should be slipped under the flap of the envelope, the addressed side of the envelope uppermost, and the pile of letters thus laid ready for signature. ^ If there are any inclosures, be sure to put them in the envelopes at the time the letters are written and the envelopes addressed. It is never safe to trust the memory to go back and do that after all are finished. Or else plainly mark the inclosures on a folder. If catalogues or the like are to go under separate cover, prepare those at once, addressing the necessary envelopes and placing them ready for mailing. In the case of foreign letters, always mark the correct GETTING OUT A DAY'S DICTATION 21 postage on the corner of the envelope where the stamp will go as a reminder to the person, who stamps the letters that this is not in the regular class. When postage on letters tc foreign countries is not fully prepaid, double the amount- i^ collected at the other end, and paying double postage, you may be sure, is very annoying. Americans are said to be particularly careless about their foreign postage, and no 'doubt they have lost millions of dollars* worth of foreign business or account of it. Mail other than letters will not be forwarded at all unless the postage is fully prepaid. Great care in getting the mail out accurately as well as rapidly will always redound to the credit of any stenographer. and it is a matter well worth taking pains about. Signing Letters. Whoever signs letters should make the signature legible or quit. Unreadable signatures are the curse of American business. How to Fold a Letter. Fold the bottom edge half an inch short of the top. Make two folds from left to right so that the right-hand side of the paper will project half an inch over the folded edge. You will find that a half-inch square in the upper right-hand corner will remain uncovered and if you grasp the letter with your thumb on that point it will shake out instantly right side up. Accuracy vs. Speed. The accurate and careful stenographer will always have a job. however slow. That is a certainty. The careless stenographer will soon have to look for another position. The stenographer who is both accurate and rapid will get the best salary and soon develop into a true private ^^ecretary. That also is certain. But accuracy comes first. Without it you cannot even say you have a foothold in the business world. 22 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE CHAPTER IV Office Appliances The Typewriter. It is the duty of a stenographer or secre- tary to keep his or her typewriter clean and supplied with a fresh ribbon. System in attending to this is important. Dirty type should not be tolerated, and oiling and wiping with cotton waste or cloth is necessary to make sure the machine works freely. When the carriage sticks it is usually dirt that causes it. A typewriter should be run with as low a tension as pos- sible if the letters do not pile up on top of each other. If the tension is too high the operator will weary more quickly, and the machine will get out of order more surely. A habit should be formed of using the tabulator for para- graphing, for the date line, and for the complimentary close. When the paper slips, the rubber platen usually needs washing off with benzine. When a part is broken, or the machine seems distinctly out of order, a typewriter repair man should be called without delay. Do this yourself. Don't leave it to somebody else. Special practice should be concentrated on these points : . Using the variable spacer; Releasing the paper so that it can be moved about a little ; Changing the marginal stops quickly and accurately ; Using the scales so as to place words or letters accurately; Holding the carriage so as to insert a letter a little closer or farther from another letter, as when a space is desired be- tween two letters that have been run together; Putting on a fresh ribbon. These points can. best be taught by a demonstrator on the machine. Filling In Form Letters. One of the first duties of a good typewriter operator usually is to fill in the name and address on a facsimile typewritten letter so as to get a good match, and do it with great rapidity. OFFICE APPLIANCES 23 The first requisite for a good match is to get on the ma- chine a special matching ribbon. If the facsimile is bright and strong, a new ribbon will be required ; but if it is not strong, a worn ribbon will be needed. In the case of multi- graph letters it is often best to cut a piece of ribbon off the side of the wide multigraph ribbon. This may be used as a last resort. Then the operator must have considerable practice to get the touch heavy or light as the case may require. A good operator by varying the touch will overcome the defect of an unsuitable ribbon. Varying the touch is a thing that must be learned by practice. In order to get the paper into the machine rapidly and accurately, the best way is to try a few letters to see how the edge of the type at the left comes with reference to the start- ing point for the name (to get a true vertical margin), and when this is right note how the edge of the paper comes with reference to the end of the platen or some attachment on the machine. Then you can put the paper in the machine so that the edge exactly corresponds to the marker on the machine which you have selected and the first letter you write will be exactly on the lefthand margin. When the letter has been put in the machine it must be turned rapidly. up to the first line of type. By using the paper release this first line of type can be adjusted exactly parallel to the scale on the platen, and then the paper must be turned back the proper number of spaces so that the name will be written at the righ* point. Many efforts have been made to avoid pulling the letter sheet about, but that is the only way that good work can be secured. The date should be printed on the letters, and when you know the correct number of letters with "Dear Sir," "Gentle- men," and "Dear Aladam" you can have these salutations printed also. On the multigraph, however, the short lines print heavier than the long ones, and a good match requires that the short line salutation be written on the typewriter. 24 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Sometimes the name and address are written in red, so that no matching is required. Mimeographing. The mimeograph prints facsimile type- written letters by means of a stencil of wax-coated paper through which the letters are cut by writing on the stencil sheet with the typewriter. The ribbon must be thrown back and disconnected, so that the type strikes directly on the thin fibre protecting sheet. It is important to see that all the types are quite clean. Any dirt in such letters as a, s, e, o, n, m, or the like should be carefully picked out with a pin, and all the letters should be brushed. The stroke of the type should be heavier than usual, but not too heavy. The right stroke or touch must be learned by practice. A stroke too heavy will cut the letters out alto- gether, while a stroke too light will not make a stencil that will print clearly. As it is difficult to make work correct, great care should be taken to be sure the stencil is right from the start. A careful typewritten copy, with no corrections, each line ex- actly as the mimeograph should appear, is a guide worth having, and such a copy should always be made. Any cracks or breaks in the waxed paper should be var- nished over with mimeograph varnish, or covered with bits of paper pasted on with the varnish. Care with the inking is necessary to get an impression neither too heavy nor too light. Special mimeograph paper that will absorb the ink quickly should be used for mimeograph prints, and if the sheets offset (or ink from one sheet to the next) blotters should be laid between. The sheets should be fed into the machine carefully, close to the guides, so that the typewriting will appear uniform on the paper. The Multigraph, Writer Press, Flexotype, etc., are ma- chines that print typewriter type set up as complete letters through regular typewriter ribbons. OFFICE APPLIANCES 25 Getting these machines adjusted so they will give a per- fectly uniform impression, not heavier at the edges and lighter in the middle, or heavier in some spots and lighter in others, requires considerable practice and ingenuity. The important thing for the secretary is to see these defects and cause them to be remedied, through exercising proper inspection over others. Phonograph Dictation. When letters are dictated to a phonograph they are recorded on a wax cylinder, which is taken ofif and put into a special pasteboard box and with others sent out to the phonograph operator, who puts the cylinder on his or her machine and transcribes from the re- produced sound. In the first place, the dictation must be good. The cylinders or "cones" must be smoothly pared so they do not ''grumble'* in the machine. The operator should hold the mouthpiece always against his lips so that he feels it touch, or otherwise he will turn his head a little one way or another and some words will be lost. The dictation must be clearly enunciated. Then the operator must get accustomed to the voice before good work can be done. The great difficulty with phonograph dictation is making changes or corrections. There is a scale, and wherever a correction is to be inserted a checkmark should be made on the small scale stamped on the letter or sheet of paper con- taining the name and address. At that point the operator will then look out for the correction before going ahead with the writing of what was originally dictated. A vertical line may be drawn at the point on the scale where one letter ends and another begins, so that the operator will see at the start whether it is to be a long letter or a short letter. When letters are answered, the original letters should be stamped with the proper notations and sent out to the oper- ator, who will take the names and addresses directly from the original letters. When the letter dictated is not an answer 26 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE the full name and address may be written on a sheet of paper with the notations as a guide to the operator. Then the op- erator will begin by saying Lefter No. so-and-so, or Letter to so-and-so. If a letter is not finished at the end of the cone, on beginning the next cone the dictator should say, "Con- tinuation of letter to so-and-so." Each cone box has a letter of the alphabet or number which should be written on the original letter or paper containing the notation so that the operator can at any time find the right cone for a given letter. The most important rule of all for the operator is, USE YOUR COMMON SENSE. The operator should be sure that what she puts on paper will make sense, and if what has been dictated sounds like something ridiculous, that should be no reason for putting down that ridiculous thing. A little thought will suggest what must have been intended. While the enunciators hanging in the ears and the grating of the machine may cause nervousness for a time, that will gradually wear away, and transcribii;g can be done at a high rate of speed. The speed of the machine should be adjusted so that it is a little faster than the operator can write. In this way speed may be gained. That which does not seem to make sense should be gone over again, and even yet again, till the operator can make out what was said. As in most things, patience is the key to success. Letter Copies. Every letter that goes out of an office should have a copy to be kept on file for reference. The old-fashioned way of making copies of pen-written letters was by the letter press. The letters were written with copying ink (a special kind), and when ready for mailing were laid in the letter book, face up, and the tissue page turned over it. Then a wet cloth was laid on top of the tissue sheet, and over that a protection sheet to keep the water from soaking into the letter above. On this another letter was laid and the tissue turned down over it, another wet cloth laid on that, with another protection sheet; and so on till as many OFFICE APPLIANCES 27 letters as possible were in the book. Then it was placed in the press and screwed down tight. After a few minutes it was taken out, the letters, wet cloths and protection sheets re- moved, and the copies would be found remaining on the tissue. These letters were then entered in the index book by the name and reference to the page of the copybook on which the im- pression had been left. The wet letters had to be left to dry a little before being put in the envelopes, or the moisture would loosen the seals of the envelope. Next came the roller copier, in which the letter with the wet cloth over a continuous tissue sheet was run between rollers like those of a clothes wringer, and the tissues were cut off and pinned to the backs of the letters they answered. In this way the copies of the answers were to be found in the same place as the original letters, instead of being looked up in a separate book. Both of these methods have been very largely superseded by the use of carbon copies. When a letter is written on the typewriter a carbon is made and pinned to the back of the letter answered, and both are filed in a vertical filing cabinet. Carbon Copies. A\'hen one carbon copy only is required a sheet of manila paper is most commonly used. When several carbons are to be made special thin paper is required, and the greater the number of carbons the thinner must the paper be. Five good carbons is about the limit possible, even with very thin paper, and with ordinary paper three carbons is the working limit. When several carbons are to be made a backing sheet may be folded down over the head of the original and all the carbon sheets, so there will be a clean, smooth edge to go into the typewriter. A heavy touch is required when several carbons are to be made. Care should be taken in putting the paper into the typewriter to see that the backs of the carbon sheets are toward the type. The best way is to lay out the paper, with 28 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE the carbon sheets face up. Then insert them in the machine with the black face toward the operator. A fixed habit in this regard will obviate blunders. Carbon copies of contract letters to be complete should be signed the same as the originals. The letter press is some- times preferred because it shows the signature as well as the body of the letter. Other Machines. Adding machines are now coming into general use and deserve special attention. Prolonged practice such as is required on the typewriter is necessary for success. Envelope sealers are used in large mail-order houses and where circular work is sent out. Letter folding machines and multigraph printing machines are also sometimes used. In all cases the manufacturers sup- ply special books of instruction. CHAPTER V Business Papers The simplest form of bookkeeping is the cash account. Every boy or girl, man or woman, should keep a personal account of receipts and expenditures, in a little pocket account book ; and the private secretary or confidential stenographer will usually find it necessary to keep a little cash account of money instrusted by the manager for carfare, special office supplies, etc. Sometimes these little sums of money do not seem worth bothering about and no account is kept of them. One day the manager will say, "What did you do with that quarter I gave you last w^eek?" He has forgotten that you gave ten cents of it to the office boy for carfare, and is surprised when you say you have only fifteen cents left. If everything is recorded in a book, no doubt will exist in his mind, and you get credit for being a careful and exact person. The habit of keeping an exact account of all small expendi- BUSINESS PAPERS 29 tures, either for oneself or another, is perhaps the most dis- tinctive mark of a good private secretary. Cash Books will have these words stamped on the cover, and the pages inside will be ruled as follows : Fig. 4, Ruling for Cash Account 30 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE The first column is for the date, the second or wide space is for the item entered, the next pair of columns is for dollars and cents to be debited, and the pair of columns after the double rule is for dollars and cents to be credited. Money received is entered in the Dr. column, money paid out in the Cr. column. This is arbitrary usage from immemorial past time. Whatever is left on hand at any time should be entered in the Cr. column or column of expenditures as "Cash to balance," and then the two columns should add up exactly the same. If they do not "balance" an error has been .made. Invoices When goods are sold in a large or formal way, especially when there are several items, all the items and prices are written in a list on a special form called a "bill" or "invoice." If cash is paid at time of delivery the bill is receipted or marked "paid." Usually the bill is employed when goods are not paid for, and it serves as a memorandum of the charge of all the items, only the total being entered in the ledger. Three different forms of billheads are in general use. The old-fashioned form reads (Name and address of buyer) "To (name of firm selling) Dr.," meaning in simple language that John Jones is a debtor to James Smith. Another form reads (Name and address of buyer) "Bought of (name of firm sell- ing)"; while the third form gives the name of the selling firm in large type in the center, and then at one side in smaller type are the words "sold to," followed by the name and address of the buyer. The terms of sale are also usually written in a blank space on the billhead, and there are various small blanks for different order numbers. As invoices are to be carefully distinguished from various shipping memorandums and from "statements," the wording as indicated above is important. Look for the wording given above and you will then instantly know whether you have in hand an invoice or not. In wholesale billing the catalogue or pricelist number of BUSINESS PAPERS 31 the article is universally indispensable. In retail billing no article number is used except in catalogue mail order business, but the charge slip number is required. Checking Invoices It is the duty of the private secretary to check all invoices for supplies and other goods sent direct to the manager, whether for his private use or for firm use. When printing, stationery, or supplies of any kind are ordered, the order should be in writing. An order form in a special book is the best way in which to keep track of orders, and usually if the secretary or assistant will ask the manager to supply such a book it will be secured at once. Such books are in duplicate so that a carbon copy is made. The copy is kept on file and the original order is sent for the goods. If there is no special order book, a letter should be written and the carbon copy kept on the desk of the secretary until the goods come in. When they are received an invoice should either accompany them or will be mailed in later. The first duty of the secretary is to find out whether that invoice has come in as it should, and if it has not come to telephone the sellers of the goods and get a duplicate. With the invoice in hand, first compare it with the written order, and examine the goods to see that- all the items are there as ordered and charged. Count the number, and make sure the goods are in good condition. If everything appears to be all right, mark the invoice "O. K." with your initials. See if the manager wishes to put his O. K. on it also and send it at once to the accounting department to be paid. Here it will be kept on file till the "statement" comes in, when it will be checked with the cor- responding item in the statement, along with any other bills, some of which m.ay come from entirely different depart- ments. If the O. K.'d bill is on file, the account will be paid without any further inquiry. 32 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE z o « a u i ! s „ « oio S^ ""o O BUSINESS PAPERS 33 Credit Memorandum In case goods are returned, or an allowance in price is made because of damage, or the like, a "Credit Memorandum'^ should always be obtained at the time. This is in form like an invoice or statement, but always has on it the words ''Credit Memorandum*' in place of "Statement from." It should be checked and O. K.'d just like an invoice, and sent to the ac- counting department for use in checking the statement. R Order no I Order No WANAMAKER. CARSON, FIELD &. CO. RETAILERS. WHOLESALERS MANUFACTURERS 19 BROAOWAT. Wholesale Department Sold to CHICAGO. APRIL 25, 1919. MESSRS. CLARK & WILSOH- 3646 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO. ILL. 2 05 /2 CUT STRG BEANS 1 OS #1 SLICE PINEAPPLE 1 CS MEO PEANUT BUTTER 1 CS MEO JAR SLICE BEEF 6 BXS BULK LUMP STARCH 2 CS EAGLE CONO MILK 1 CS UNDERWOODS J MUST SABOINES. 1 08 VEEKO SML LEMON JUICE 30 LB CONT HIRSCH POTATO CHIPS 4 4 2 2 250 2 1 3 30 1 10 1 50 1 45 2 00 2 98 6 50 4 70 1 10 ISi 2 90 4 00 7 45 3 30 5 55 |23 20 4 40 6 00 13 00 4 70 28 10 Fig. 6. Wholesale Invoice. Statements It is customary at the end of each month to send a list of all the invoices rendered during the preceding month. This 34 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE STATEMENT H. G. ADAIR Commercial Printing MACHINE COMPOSITION PUBCICATIONS lftO.154 W. Lake St.. Cor. LaSalU ^^'"'•'\a21».%^%3 CHICAGO S^ ^^ Oi. Aji^: /5^ ?= •V3 /o ^ ^ 2:X5 /^<^ Fig. 7. Statement with Credit BUSINESS PAPERS 35 A.J. BROCK, P»c« STATEMENT INOCM 235 .... Chicago.— April X _i9ia_ •Rardwan A BartT^y Co., Chicago 1700 Fifth Ave., JFn.;4cc(nmtwi0i >^ i«N^%i^ii»^ INCORPORATED Bdi^ftlBofclfeOMjfetafiBBlJ 61 terms: NET CASH on is 9 SOUTH LASALLE STREtT ■»?« OF MONTH FOI-UOWING DATE or 1 aiLi. o„.. CREDIT 1 BACANCe ,„, March l| \ n liar. 5 1 ^00 20 [ 117 5 ) 25 ^ 31 L 5 ) l\ 2 6( 2 i 1 Fig. 8. Wholesale Statement. 36 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE is called a "statement," and usually this word appears at the top. In place of the words used in the invoice it usually has the words "In Account with." Either of these phrases will indicate a statement. The invoices are identified usually only by the date, or sometimes by the order number, and the amount. The various invoices are listed first, and then at the bottom the word "Credit" or "Cr." is written across the middle of the page, and below are entered the various credits, which include money paid on account, allowances for goods returned, and the like. The sum of the credits is subtracted from the sum of the invoices, and the difference is the amount due and payable. In case the invoices of the preceding month, which have been entered on one statement already, have not been paid, the total shown on all preceding statements is entered in the first line as "Balance due." When the words "Debit," Credit," and "Balance" do not appear with separate columns beneath them, the first two columns receive the various amounts of different invoices and the second two columns receive totals. See Figs. 7 and 8. The important thing for the secretary is to know what these different forms mean and how to check them. In all large houses they are made out for that house by specially trained bookkeepers. In very small ofifices the secretary frequently has to attend to making out invoices, statements, etc. Sometimes the total amount due is written on a short statement blank and sent about the 20th of the month as a reminder to pay up. Retail Billing In retail stores the best prevailing custom today is to give the customer a sales check as shown in Fig. 10a if the sales are for cash or as in Fig. 10b if the sale is charged on a weekly or monthly account. BUSINESS PAPERS 37 At the end of the week or month an itemized statement- bill is sent. It is in form like a statement, but it has the words "Sold to" or "Bought of," the same as a bill. WANAMAKER. CARSON, FIELD & CO. RETAILERS. WHOLESALERS. MANUFACTURERS NEW YORK CHICAGO 1419 8KOAOWAT STikTC AND WASHINSTOM CHICAGO. APR 1 1919 Sold to MR. FBAIIK WILSON, EVANSTON, ILL. 7/5651 26209 m 11 14 1 NAIL BRUSH 1 TOOTH BRUSH 1 VASE i 50i 75 23810 50 24106 •1 BOTTLE COLOGNE 50 23510 4 SHIRTS 1 00 4 00 26205 1 HAND BRUSH 2 TOOTH BRUSHES 15 35 30 24021 2 U SUITS 1 00 2 00 23510 2 PAJA2£AS 1 00 2 00 26213 1 HAIR BRUSH 1 COMB 95! 25 24819 1 PR SLIPPERS 1 25 20906 3 U SUITS 50 1 50 20481 15 1 pZ HDKPS 1/3 DZ PR HOSE 4 00 .2_ -22 15 60 21019 ^r ^ 6418 1 PR RUBBERS 70 4709 1 SUIT 13 50 26413 17 1 PR SHOES 2 TOOTH PASTE t 19 _3_ l50 '' 03 4102 18 23510 1/2 DZ COLLARS 1 50 75! 23507 1 PAJAMAS 1 00!! 20901 18 2 U SUITS 1 WAIST 50 JL- 00 : 3 13 8304 5 50 1 WAIST 5 00 20511 1 VEIL 75 20313 1 GUIMP 50 23830 1 PR CUPF LINKS 1 C BUTTON 50 10 22 2 C BUTTONS 1 Pllii 05 M 12 45 5917 75 1 POWDER 25 1 2 BOLTS RIBBON 20 40 1 23563 2 DRESSES 10 00 20 00 26539 ,1 HAT 7 50 27464 tl BELT 75 29 65 i'FORl KR-D i « Fig. 9. Retail Monthly Statement or Invoice. — First page only. 38 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE In the first column is the number of the sales slip; in tlic second column is the item, and beyond that the price each, per dozen, or the like; in the first pair of figure colmuns are the totals for the items, while in the second pair of figure columns are the totals for each day, added up day by day during the month. Credits are written in red. See Fig. 9. The word ''forward" means the amount is carried forward to a second page. RESIDENCE - MARSHALL HELD & COMPANY CHICAGO STORE 2 AMT REC-D CLERK NO. CASH OR TUBE NO. !-,.««■. N» Dit. 191 R9 Qa.D. ARTICLES Price Dollars Centi ciuusc •OMia* , ..D.. . '■ 942 '■-- Q...IIIT «iricus rrin tHratlM 399, 37 '^•^ Ctacl MMt ic o npwf SNft k cue (f Fr^' *«tiini tr Eicknr« Fig. 10a. Check for Cash Sales. (Size reduced.) Fig. 10b. Check for Charge Sales. (Size reduced.) The Ledger Carbon copies of the invoices may be gathered into a loose- leaf sales book, or the items may be kept in a daybook or journal ("book of original entry"), while totals only are car- ried to the ledger. Here the debits are entered on the lefthand side of the page and the credits on the righthand side of the page. The "Balance" is the amount then due as shown on the latest statement. In the ledger will be found the records of all the statements for a long time past. In order to find out just what was in the invoice, reference must be made to the journal or salesbook, so the journal page must always appear in one column. See Fig. 11. BUSINESS PAPERS 39 Small pencil figures are frequently seen on ledger pages. These are the additions of the items entered above. Until the account is closed these pencil footings are used as the totals for the purpose of finding out quickly what balance may be due. h 3 /o ?>i 7-3^ ^3 ■ Fig. 11. Simple Form of Ledger. Frequently secretaries are required to look up accounts, and if they know how to do it without calling on the bookkeeper when he is busy, it saves time. The philosophy of analyzing accounts and making the en- tries that will show whether the business is making or losing money, whether any department is costing more than it earns, etc., etc., is the ''science of accounting." The secretary is usually concerned only with the records of invoices and staternents, and should not get these simple records, easily understood, confused with the complicated and difficult science of accounting. The Bank Account Carefully distinguish between a savings account and a checking account. 40 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Savings accounts are for small deposits of one dollar and up. The deposits draw interest at about 3 per cent per annum, beginning on a certain day of the month or month of the year, following the deposit. All that is necessary in opening a savings account is to go in person to the bank with the money. The signature of the depositor is taken in a book, and a small bank-book is given to the depositor which shows the amount deposited. In order to draw money out, the same person must go to the bank with the bank-book (though in case of emergency he may send a written order). The clerk at one of the windows takes the book and writes out the order or form of check, which the depositor must sign and take to another window to have the signature compared with that originally placed in the big book of the bank. In large banks payment is made at still a third window. Checks cannot be used to draw money from a sav- ings account. All large business houses and also private individuals who have usually at least a hundred dollars on deposit all the time, may open checking accounts for convenience. Usually these do not pay interest, but the bank gets the use of the average balance as payment for the trouble involved. To open a checking account it is necessary to go to the cashier of the bank in person with some introduction from a person known to the cashier, such as an old depositor. The bank wants to know whether the person is honest or not, and wants to see the face of the person depositing so as to be able to recognize him if he comes to the bank again at any time* Business managers usually have private checking accounts, which they expect their secretaries to care for. It is important to know how to make out deposit slips, indorse checks and different kinds of money orders, list them correctly on the bank deposit slips, and get currency when needed from the bank for use of the manager or for pay-rolls. Printed deposit slips are furnished by the bank, together with books of blank checks. See Fig. 12. BUSINESS PAPERS 41 Credit Account of CHICAGO, yy^-^ ^ , ^ /f ^'^t^<.CC0^^ — ' O. y^/ll4^>g. >NAL BANK DIANA »-444^ znat^y^ ^^^t^'t.^^ DOLLARS Fig. 14. Same Check Indorsed. means writing the name across the back. See Fig. 14, Notice that when the check lies face up before you the reading matter begins at the left. The lefthand edge forms the top of the back, and the indorsement should be written near the top of the back, which is the lefthand side of the face of the check. Many persons cause considerable inconvenience by writing their in- dorsements on the other end, that is with the righthand side of the check as the top. 44 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Forms of Indorsements If only the name is written across the back of the check it is said to be "Indorsed in blank" and then any one can get the check cashed, for the bank has its receipt in full there and acknowledges no other responsibility. If the check is indorsed with the form "Pay to E. L. Jones or order," (Signed) "A. Depositor," the bank could be held responsible if it paid the money to any one except "E. L. Jones" or some one to whom he gives an order by writing the same form with his name under the first indorsement. There can be any number of indorsements on the back of a check. There are frequently half a dozen. The signature of a rubber stamp is legal, and usually when checks are simply deposited in an account, they are indorsed by the bookkeeper, who merely stamps the form, including the name, on the back. The common form for this sort of indorsement is an order to pay to the bank where the account is carried, as "Pay to the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank or order. A Depositor." While checks are accepted for deposit when indorsed by a rubber stamp, money is not paid out except on a pen-written signature. Checks to "Bearer" and "Cash" When it is desired that the person presenting a check should get the money just as if he were offering a twenty-dol- lar banknote to be changed, and the bank is released from all responsibility to pay to any given person, the check is written "Pay to the order of Bearer." In that case the bank usually asks the person who presents the check to indorse it just as a memorandum of who he or she is. When the depositor himself wants some cash for personal or office use, he writes out his check "Pay to the order of Cash," and the bookkeeper or stenographer can present the check and get the money without indorsing it. Sometimes the depositor writes out a check "Pay to the order of Self," and in BUSINESS PAPERS 45 that case he must write his own name on the back as an indorsement beTore he can get the money. The Stub In the books of blank checks furnished by the banks there is opposite each check a special page on which to keep a record of the check, or at the lefthand side there is what is called a "stub," a little blank on which the important facts About the check" can be recorded for future reference if neces- sary. See Fisf. 15. Brought forward VEPOSITS NOT BC MONORCD. So. 191 Order of -. Balance r^h^^h- Vi-t t Carried forward . . Fig. 15. The Stub. Secretaries are commonly expected to write out checks and fill in the stubs. Then the manager has only to sign the checks with his own name, which is compared with the sig- nature on file in the bank. This is the identification. If any one else wrote his name it would be forgery. The rest of the check can be written in any handwriting or on the type- writer, for only the signature must be such that it can be identified. The important items in a check are as follows: The number (so that when checks have been paid and are returned by the bank with the written-up bank-book, the secretary can run rapidly through the numbers and see if any number is missing — that is, if any check is still outstanding 46 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE and has not been paid so that it does not appear in the bank balance) ; The date (very important in identifying different checks given to the same person, and as a sort of index in looking up correspondence, etc.) ; The name of the person to v^rhom the check was made pay- able; The amount in figures. Personal accounts are often kept entirely on the stubs of checkbooks. The amount of each check should be carried forv^ard to the next page or stub and deducted from the total deposits in the bank so as to show at a glance how much money is left not checked out. If you ask the bank how much money is on deposit, mistakes may be made owing to the fact that some check has not been cashed. It is very important to keep the record of the checks given out so the account will not be overdrawn. Whenever a new deposit is made, that is entered on the side of the stub also, and is added to the bal- ance left after deducting previous checks. In Fig. 15 the right- hand side is the stub proper, and the lefthand side may be used as desired to keep the account. Keeping these private checking accounts accurately is a special duty of many secretaries. If all money received is first deposited in the bank, and whenever cash is wanted it is drawn from the bank on a check, then the check stubs will show a complete record of the account and no other record need be kept. Or the bank's balance of the account can be compared with the balance shown in the account books, and this will serve as a check- of accuracy in keeping the books. It is an excellent rule that all money shall first be deposited. If for any reason money received in currency has to be used before it is possible to go to the bank, or money is received in postage stamps which cannot be deposited, the account may be kept straight by drawing out enough money to cover these items and redepositing it. BUSINESS PAPERS 47 United States and Express Money Orders United States money orders can be obtained only by going to the postoffice. This duty usually falls to the secretary. Fig. 16. lOiOO BjrUt CNiv. 1 r. 522204 „ **" I 9 8 S JUH-6 j»i- 00 5 : lOiOO Barelif CiKh. n. T. 522204 JUN-5 1919 COUPON "o rHS PoaTMASTCH at 0~ l.ir< Barolay Center, N. Y. VI FIVE 00 ^AVCt Wanamaker, Carson, Field & Co. MEM.TTCR John D Vestover Fig, 16. United States Money Order. Express money orders may be bought at the office of any national express company. Fig. 17. When Countersicncd ST AGCNT AT POINT Of ISSOt EXPRESS MONEY ORDER 13- 2695818 ^^r ^^ y^ A^BECS TO TRANSMIT AND ^^ Pay TO THE ORDER OF The Sum nr (CJ't^fy^.^ (ouMTCatlCi /<^' — Dollars IIIC.AU[««TU>H.OCrACCI«CNT OR MUTILATIOH Or THIS OROCR RCNOCRS IT VOIO Fig. 17. Express Money Order. Money orders are necessary when a small remittance is to be made to strangers, who may be afraid to accept personal checks, or when there may be an exchange charge on checks 48 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE that strangers will not like to pay. Money orders are used in such cases for small amounts, bank drafts or cashier's checks for large amounts. As postmasters do not as a rule accept personal checks, it is necessary to go to the bank and get the currency, which in turn is taken to the postoffice. Here a blank application form Dollars Cents Stamp of Issuing Offtct The Postmaster will Insert (Form No. i No. ibe office drawn on, when the office named by the remitter In the body of this application Is not a Money Order Office. . Spaces above this line are for the Postmaster's record, to be filled io by bim. Application for Domestic Money Order Spaces below to be filled In by purchaser, or. If necessary, by another person for him Amount .^ive Dollars ten Ceuts oSeJ**of } J.ame»J3„....Sm.ith WrS-T Ttd N.. WMt M~ T«. W.I TW Fo Su. • Fig. 24. Pay-roll Sheet. BUSINESS PAPERS 55 Form 22 11-27-12 P. f. P. 4 Co. TheNationalCityBankofChicago MONEY WANTED FOR PAY ROLL 191 — FOR- GOLD. $20.00 $ 1 0.00 ...... $ 5.00 CURRENCY. TWENTIES TENS ....... FIVES ONES and TWOS ... SILVER. DOLLARS, in $20 rolls. . HALVES, in $10 rolls, . . QUARTERS, ln$10 rolls. . . DIMES, in $5 rolls. . . NICKELS, in $2 rolls. . . PENNIES, inSOcrolfe. . . TOTAL, . . Fig. 25, Currency Slip. 56 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE A convenient way of counting up the different kinds of currency needed to fill the envelopes in the best way is as follows : Take a sheet ruled with twelve columns and write at the top figures indicating the denominations of currency that may be needed. In the column at the left copy off the amounts of the wages in the order they come on the pay-roll as made out above. Each wage is then distributed into its most suitable denominations, as $50 would be five tens, $47.27 would be four tens, one five, a two, twenty-five cents, and two cents. 10 5 2 1 .50 .25 .10 .05 .02 .01 $ 50.00 5 47.27 4 11 1 1 21.88 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Etc. 11 111121 21 $119.15 110 5 2 1 !50 ^50 !l0 !o4 ^ At the bottom of each column you easily add up the total number of pieces of each denomination required and copy this off on a slip for presentation to the bank with the pay-roll check (usually banks furnish blank requisitions for currency for pay-rolls — See Fig. 25.) In a line below you figure the totals and add them up to see if they tally with the direct addition of the wages in the lefthand column. With a sheet like this before one, it is possible to make up a pay-roll very rapidly and very accurately, for you see at a glance just what coins go in each envelope. Incoming Mail It is often the duty of the confidential stenographer or private secretary to open the mail, especially when there is a large amount of it as in a mail order business. The first important point in this connection is to see that the full address is on the letter itself. It may be found only on the envelope, and possibly the postmark will be required to decide where the letter comes from. In case of doubt, the envelope should always be pinned to the letter. BUSINESS PAPERS 57 When there are inclosures of any kind they may be pinned to the letter, or they may be placed in a pile by themselves. In either case, even if the inclosure is pinned to the letter, a memorandum should be made on the letter so that if the in- closure is ever taken off and the letter placed in the file it will be possible to know just what inclosure actually was received. If the inclosure is mentioned in the letter but is missing, "Xo inclosure" should be written on the letter and the envelope preserved to show whether it has been tampered with. If there is a money order for 50 cents, we would write on the letter firmly and clearly. ''M. O. 50c." If there are stamps, write *'50c stamps" ; if it is an express money order, write "Ex. M. p. 50c"; if it is a check, write "50c check," or "50c draft" if in New York or Chicago exchange ; and so on. As soon as the mail has been opened, the money received in different forms should at once be entered in the cashbook, and then it can be placed in the safe until the bank deposit is made up just before going to the bank. Making up the bank deposit will consist in indorsing the checks, etc., with the proper rubber stamp or with pen and ink, sorting them out as required by the bank, and listing them on the bank deposit slip. A rubber band is usually slipped around the various items for deposit, and the whole slipped inside the bank-book. At the bank there is nothing to be done, then, but to hand the bank-book with the items for deposit and the list inside to the teller, and he will proceed to make the entry and return the bank-book. Exchange Banks charge from 5 cents up for collecting the money on checks drawn on small places outside their own town or city. The teller knows just what towns must pay exchange and checks them on the deposit slip. The exchange is sometimes deducted from the total deposit, but more often the depositor pays it in cash as one of the petty cash expenses of the office. 58 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE If the latter is the custom, the secretary should always have some small change with which to pay the exchange. There is no exchange on drafts on New York or Chicago and other large centers, express or government money orders, and checks that can go through the local clearing house. Household Bookkeeping It is often the duty of the private secretary to look after the special household or private accounts. As has already been stated, the most convenient way to do this is to see that all accounts are paid by check, money received always being first deposited in the bank. Then a memorandum of what each check is for should be made on the stub. These check stubs will be the book of original entry, and from them the items can be posted into a ledger for the purpose of classifying them, so as to find out how much this costs or that costs, or the other. If there are many little receipts, as from the sale of milk, vegetables on a farm, chickens, or eggs, all the items can best be kept in a cashbook. If a check is handed over once a month to pay all expenses, the entry in the bank-book may be sufficient, and possibly no cashbook will be required. If how- ever, many small items must be paid out in currency, where a check cannot be used conveniently, a cashbook will also be needed to keep these items. Plere, then, are the records. How, then, shall we find out what the proprietor wants to know? He or she may want to know whether the fancy dairy is paying its own way or not, how much it really costs to keep up an automobile, what the family living expenses are, etc., etc. In the checkbook stubs, the bank-book, and the cashbook will be found all the items mixed together. The bookkeeping consists in classifying them in a ledger. The best way to do is to see just what information the pro- prietor really w^ants. Only he can tell you that, so you cannot make a start at classifying the accounts till you know what in- TRANSPORTATION 59 formation is really desired. If no information is especially desired, then there is no object in classifying, and the original entries are best left as they are, to be classified at some future time if ever special information is desired. But if special in- formation is desired, get the different headings from the pro- prietor and open a ledger account for each. There may be also miscellaneous items on which no record is specially desired, but in order to know you have overlooked nothing these mis- cellaneous items should be put in an account by themselves headed perhaps General Expense. Then once a week, or once a month, at regular intervals, take the bank-book, the cashbook, and the check-stubs and enter each in some one of the ledger accounts. Unless all are entered, there is no way of checking totals to detect errors or being certain nothing important has been overlooked. On the, debit side may be entered all matters of expense under each head, and on the credit side any money received or the checks from headquarters to cover the expense. The total debit of each account and the total credit of each account may be carried to a single Balance Sheet, where the grand totals will show a balance exactly equal to the amount remaining in the bank. This is simple single-entry bookkeeping, but it is the most practicable for the purpose indicated. If each item were en- tered twice, on the credit side of one account and the debit side of another, the sum of the credits would then always be equal to the sum of the debits, and we should have double- entry bookkeeping. CHAPTER VI. Transportation Goods may be shipped by (1) mail, (2) express, (3) freight (rail or water). In each case (including mail under the new parcels post provision) the value of the goods or the costs of transportation 60 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE may be collected from the person to whom the goods are sent. This is called shipping C. O. D. — collect on delivery. The person or firm making the shipment is technically known as the ''consignor/' the person or firm receiving the goods as the "consignee." It is necessary to know these terms so as to sign in the right place on bills of lading. Parcels under eleven pounds and not over 12 inches in com- bined length and girth may go by parcels post. When the charges are more than ten or fifteen cents they may often go as cheaply by express, and if the express company takes them j it will call for them and deliver them, and also guarantee de- livery. Mail delivery is guaranteed only by registry or insur- ance, for which an extra payment must be made. Shipments over a hundred pounds usually go more cheaply by freight. As the express company collects the goods and delivers them at destination, the real cost of freight as compared with express can be found only by adding the cartage or draying charge at both ends. These costs are often more than the entire express charge, yet people overlook them and pay more for a freight shipment plus cartage than for express with | cartage included. Express shipments are much faster than by ' freight, usually two or three times as fast, as express cars are carried on passenger trains, which have the right of way, while freight goes in freight cars. When quick delivery is required even on large shipments, express is preferred. Often several carloads of scenery, etc., are shipped by express for theatrical companies. Let us look at the Commercial Map of the United States which accompanies this book. The principal railroad lines are shown, drawn in different styles to indicate the express companies operating over them. As a rule only one express company operates over one railroad line. Only the larger cities (over 10,000 inhabitants and not all of these) are shown, and only the main lines of railroad. If all the small towns and branch lines were shown, the network would be too thick to TRANSPORTATION 61 distinguish. As it is, the lines running into New York and Chicago are so numeroiis it is hard to follow them. It will be noticed on this map that there are several different railroads connecting New York and Chicago, Chicago and Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis, etc. Many towns can be reached only by shipping part way over one line and part way over another, and there may be a dozen different combina- tions. Choosing the best route is called ^'routing," and is indicated on the shipping order as "via" this city or certain different railroads. "Via rail and water" on a shipment from New York to Chicago would mean by rail to Buffalo and by steamer over the Great Lakes from Buffalo to Chicago. Shipping by Mail All shipments by mail except first class (letter postage) must be tied so they are open to inspection. Newspapers and periodicals bearing the words "Entered as second class mail matter" go at the rate of 1 cent for four ounces, and may be deposited in any mail box. All other printed matter, including books, circulars, etc., goes for 1 cent for two ounces, deposited in any mail box. The express com- panies take this printed matter from publishers and other large shippers at the same rate if marked "Schedule D," the minimum not less than 10 cents east of Denver, 15 cents west of Denver when shipped from Eastern points. Limit of weight by mail, except for one book, four pounds. Merchandise can be shipped by mail only as fourth class (or under letter postage) by parcels post. The rate varies from 5c to 12c a pound (Ic an ounce for four ounces or under) according to the distance. The package must be taken to the postoffice and ordinary stamps affixed. The rates may be found on a zone map or rate sheet obtained from any postoffice. The law provides for insurance and also for collections on de- livery. Exact information should be obtained at the postoffice when the goods are sent, since they must be taken there in person, anyway. Packages by parcels post must not weigh 62 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE over 20 pounds in first zone or 11 pounds in other zones, nor have a combined length and girth of over 72 inches. Shipping by Express Occasional single express packages should be taken to the nearest express office of a company that has a railroad running to the town of destination. The proper company may usually be determined by glancing at the Commercial Map. If no company at the point of shipment does business in the town of destination, the package will be transferred from one com- pany to another. A receipt for the package should be ob- tained from the express agent, as illustrated in Fig. 26, and if charges are prepaid this receipt will be marked 'Taid." READ THE CONDITIONS OF THIS RECEIPT. AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY 72ee«^atf^!^M^i5i:L?iZiM?^^?^ May 3. 'i^^^ TMUunaker, CTBon, field rCo i »*F''»;' » > " ^ ''' g " - *"f^, «*y>«y,fa»»7»ir?»f^ iS'SSw.i'JSlU mSH ^O-vvw-jfcA^, Fig. 26. Express Receipt In large cities expressmen call every day at all principal buildings, or will call on telephone request. A call card like Fig. 27 may be dropped in a special box near the entrance, and expressmen will come to the room or department indicated. If many packages are to be sent, an order may be given one express company to call every day, and to turn over to other companies any packages it cannot itself deliver. There is no TRANSPORTATIOX ^3 VJaa 1911 ) charge for this latter service, as the one company, of course, keeps for itself all business to competitive points. In most business houses where numerous shipments are made there will be found two different blankbooks provided by the express company — a "Prepaid" book, with pages in duplicate with a carbon sheet, one page of which appears as shown in Fig. 28; the other book is the "Collect" book, for packages sent when the charges are to be collected at the other end. Pages in this book are single, without carbon copy, and appear as shown in Fig. 29. When the charges are prepaid the expressman signs as a receipt, and then tears out the car- bon copy, and after the package has been weighed at the ex- AT ROOM Fig. 27. Express Call Card. MTIKOmBLL AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY. 2fli«^A>cb of Wanamaker, Carson, Field t Co.' jlay 19, 1919 ma property h«r*lnaf4*r d*«erib«4, wfilch th« Cxpr*** Company andartaka* *» fanaard ta tka naaraat pohM ta dastl. Ml raachad by It, aobiact ta ttia term* mnd camMtlcns of tha Expraaa Company'* ragular form af racalpt prtntad an tk« « trant covar ol this baali and wlilch tarma and condltlaas ara asraad to by ahlppar ar oanaaf la aecaptlag tMa racaipt. QuMnmr- AimciM. V*uic AaitCD .NoCninA* WCIOMT. CONSIGNCE. DtSTINATION. pwBmo. N»M»t T Sac nan t. fin *.«„, r4* HAT^i-y 5;iinmAna Seitiiate, Mass. "^^-z- >;^ V ^ --^:.^^'**^!^N ^^'"^ Receipted for by nUVSUKS CMCQUES aii^ LCTTCm OT CKCDIT. atoo MONEY OROaiS and SI«HT OHATTS Fig. 28. Receipt from "Prepaid" Express Book. 64 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE RCCEIVEO r». F„,p,r, WanMnakw. Caraon, Field i Co. COMDPJLIVTr. (r«0 ll.r«n.»f(ef dMcribwl, xhith l»t t«pnM ComDJr, gnjertaVts 10 ro'.irii 1^ Ih. "-arm ocml lo icil.^.llon ruched b» It. tubiecl to Iht Wm, ifid COoditiOM of Iho C«. «;r«J lo hi thJ.h.pKr Of o«o«r lo .cc.cliiK tki. r«oi|.t. jNOTNtGOTIABU.* DATE BEJJUTO08 4110 eOKIEL-W Ttls. uk«d tatUmu AIBUtOSTO tKnsATJoa tXSEHTZD BT V«v 3 SO QO J. F. Jacoba Uarlon. Ohio r 10 on Durham. 3.C. 1 pkf. ff 09 H.O.Johnaon Loe Angelea. Cal. r V f v^ 7- ^^ -~ ^ c: > ^ . ~~~~~^^ / Fig. 29. Receipt from "Collect" Express Book. press office and the charges determined, a collector brings this carbon copy back to get the money later. In the case of "col- lect" shipments, the expressman simply signs the book as a receipt, and nothing further is heard of the matter unless the shipment has to be traced. For a small additional fee the express company will collect from the consignee any money due -for the goods. When such Wells F&rgo& Co Express f A T\ Gbods Shipped to V, V, J/, Amount of Bill? $4-.^:^ Collect charges for ftjaxn of money unlest otherwise instructed by shipper in writing udder "$hipper's Instructions." No. Way-Billed to or via Postmaster: Forward to Address on Reverse Side. SHIPPER'S INSTRUCTIONS Way-Billed From. Fig. 30a. Back of C. O. D. Envelope. TRANSPORTATION 65 CHICAGO, ILL. (RETAIN COPTn" -(421, Jan 1912.) American Express Co. '^MfJ^ 191^ Ym irt MtMed that to f Wf<<4 ki |ou V Collection/* ^ Shipoen Invoice No. or Uentlf cation No. ~ or Marks on Package . remaint 1 InJt^U office ttMeliiettd lor^e reason that consignee collections are desired we speak of it as "C. O. D. shipment." In this case the express charges may be either prepaid or col- lect, and that alone will determine in which book i«j9. the entry is to be made. I- When the charges for car- riage are to be collected the shipment is said to be ''Collect," and goes in the "Collect" book. When money for goods is to be collected at the other end, 2 z O While the thipment remains unde l»*red. it is held at owner s risk the shipmCnt is Callcd 3- J and iubjepi to exoress charges. E P.easeatence oresont this Notice to ACEN'T OF THt-: CX- ea PRESS CO. u>iiosE rkckipt yoi hold, accow. PdMED By tVHITTEN INSTHt eriO.NS FOB DISPOSAL. AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. Per. Order and Commission Department of this Company purchases or obtains for patrons any article at any place where the'Counpany lias an .\gcnoy. For such special service performed in the United States and Canada, the Company charges only the usual rates (for carrying the goods and a small fee when it advances the purchase money. Fig. 31. Notice that Express Cannot be Delivered, "C. O. D. shipment," and may be entered in either book, according as the charges are to be prepaid or collected. To make a C. O. D. shipment, it is necessary to place in a special en- velope furnished by the express company a single invoice showing how much is to be collected. On this en- velope are blanks to be filled out, as shown in Fig. 30. On the package also should be plainly written "C. O. D. $ ," the correct amount filled in. This is for reference in case the envelope gets lost. Slip the C. O. D. envelope under the string of the express package and let the expressman take it with the package. Foreign (Canadian) shipments require three invoices and a manifest. In case an express package cannot be immediately deliv- ered at destination, the express agent at that point will send 66 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE a postal card like Fig. 31, notifying of this fact. On receipt of this postal card the secretary should at once write to the consignee to tell him the package is waiting at such and such express office (always tell the express company and the office as shown on the notification card). If the shipment has for any reason been refused, an effort should be made to find out Graduated Express Charges Under 100 Pounds. (New Interstate Commerce Revision.) 1 lb 21 22 .22 2 lbs 22 .22 .24 3 22 .24 .25 4 23 .25 .27 5 24 .26 .29 7 26 .29 .33 10 28 .33 .38 15 32 .39 .47 20 36 .46 .56 25 40 .52 .65 30 44 .59 .74 35 48 .65 .83 40 52 ,12 .92 45 56 .78 1.01 50 60 .85 1.10 55 64 .91 1.19 60 68 .98 1.28 65 72 1.04 1.37 70 76 1.11 1.46 75 80 1.17 1.55 80 84 1.24 1.64 85 88 1.30 1.73 100 1.00 1.50 2.00 TRANSPORTATION 67 from the consignee what the reason is. Xo attention need be given the express company unless an order for delivery or re- turn of the goods is to be sent. Shipping by Freight Shipments by freight, either rail or water, must be deliv- ered to the freight station or dock. For this purpose a dray- man must usually be employed. Freight charges may be pre- paid or collected at destination, but usually are collected at destination even when allowed by the shippers. The consignee deducts them from the invoice. Large shippers have their own brief bills of lading blanks, which are filled out in duplicate or triplicate and handed to the drayman, who gets one or more of them receipted at the freight house. But on request the railroad will issue bills of lading, which are made out in triplicate, the first being called the ''Original," the second the "Shipping Order" (retained by the railroad), and the third the "Memorandum" (retained by the shipper for reference). Fig. 32. The Original should be sent to the consignee to enable him to get the shipment from the freight house if he is not known to the agent. In most cases where the consignee is an established business house no bill of lading is required in order to secure the goods, and none is issued by the railroad except as a receipt for goods when delivered at the freight house. The important point for the secretary is to know that the "Original" should be sent to the consignee, if any is sent. The bill of lading shown in Fig. 32 is called a "Straight Bill of Lading." When shipments by freight are to be made subject to collection of money for goods at the other end, or "C. O. D. by freight," an "Order Bill of Lading" (Fig. 33) is required. This bill of lading contains a special clause not found in the other, which reads as follows : "The surrender of the original ORDER bill of lading prop- erly indorsed -shall be required before the delivery of the property. Inspection of property covered by the bill of lading 68 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Cm «• I* mM CU t n «itb Ui« $taA4ar4 iirm »l Strai«hi BUI M Udlng ipprmtd by tke Interslate Comfflerea Coanlsdon by Ordo Ng. 787 ol JuM 17, IMML Railway Company. THIS MEMORANDUM '* ■" KknowlMgment that a bill el lading has baan Ittuad and It not tha Shipper* Nn. JDoO Agents No.. RECEIVED, aubjeot to the claaaifications and lariffa in effect on the dale of the receipt by the carrier of the orooertv duacnbed In th« OrigiMl BUI of Uding, f >- ^ URilorm Bill of UHIng Wiwlifi tor* tl llniflU HH «l Udia* apprand ky Am hrtMlUt C««iai«rc« Ceinaiulaa by Ordar No. 787 ol limt 27, 18IN. RaUway Company. Shippers N«. Jbao STRAIGHT BILL OF LADING— ORIGINAL — NOT NEGOTIABLE. Agents No,. RSCETVEO, rabjecl to One eUaifioatioiio uui tariffs in effect on the dato of iaaue of thia Original Bill of Ladinc, at Chicago J9 the ptoperty described below, la apparent Rood order, except aa noted of paokagee unknown), uiarked, consigned and deatioed aa indicated below, which aaid Company ■cieea to carry'to ila usual' place oJ deUveiyat said destination, if on its road, otherwise to deUver to another carrier on the route to aud destination. It is matoallyagreed, aa to each carrier of all or any of said property over all or any portion of aaid route to desti- nation, and as to each party at any lime interested in all or any of said property, that every service to be performed hereunder «hall be sntiiect to all the conditions, whether printed or written, herein «oatauied Cmduding oondiUoos on back beieoO and which are agreed to by the ohipper and accepted for hiuseU and bia assigns. TK» lUUeof Frtight n CeiUi per 100 Lb$. IFtsaaial *" IF..Tla«til IFIatClaaa trueiaM irialan IF^eiaaa IF iaia tt IF lata 2* IFataetaMJ IFMhClaaaj IFStkClaaa 1 1 lM^Add«»-N..lo, Destioation.. Boute,, . ■ -County pL micus PEsournoN op Amicus and special marks If charges are to be prepaid, write or stamp here, "To be prepaid." Received $_ to apply in prepayment of the charges pn the property described hereoa. AfCQi or Caahl*. Charges Advanced : S Shipper. Fta. jVgeat. ■ _, n 8 OB ^. 1! >-• tt s n s Tl •s a ►< 1 a . 11 F ^ m t m i i ii 1 I: r s • t» 1 1 1 11 - 5? H 2. W S ? » 2,0. -;; «-^ Z I.5SSSO 25 - „ J- p- & ^ = § « 5- B ^ o - K^ * s o m o g z ? o z > r o 2 70 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE will not be permitted unless provided by law or unless permis- sion is indorsed on the original bill of lading or given in writing by the shipper." The shipment in such a case is made to the name of the shipper himself in the town of the consignee marked "Notify So-and-So (name of consignee)." The order bill of lading is then indorsed so as to direct the railroad company to deliver the goods to the consignee on surrender of that bill of lading. This original bill of lading is attached to a commercial draft, FREIGHT ARRIVAL NOTICE CHICAOO, 031,20 12 ^^ •0. Cbtct(o vn HO 1937 Pro. No. ConsiOne, S/0 NTFY F G CLARK Destination Via LocafFrtigMOflle* CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILWAY CO. I'll ! Fr6m Ro*' Constgnor Original Pojntt *— ' ^ .^' I P C o#Shrpm«nt { } I / Dcseaimoii or aiiTietx* WCIOHT «T, CM*iiacs ?S"?T»" .j?;;i. 7 CS P PAPER 3300 20 PAID NOS 1 TO 7 FRL- 1171 6.60 6.60 PPD EL. R9C9ind Paymttit foe tin Company^ .191 THK ORIGINAL PAID rilCiaHT BILL MUST «CC*WP«Nf CUMMm MAOC red OVCNCMAnOft. LOBS Fig. 35. Ordinary Freight BiU. Do not overlook the fact that the railroad allows only two days or such a matter in which to get the goods, after which storage (called "demurrage") is charged. Passenger Traffic Secretaries are often asked by their managers to look up time-tables, select routes, buy tickets, and secure Pullman berths. First look at the commercial map and see what routes there are to the destination. If the town or station is not shown on this map it may be necessary to look in the index of the Official Railway Guide, a thick book which costs a dollar. That will show all the railroads having lines into that town. n BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Then secure time-tables of all the lines by which the desti' nation may be reached. The first problem will be to find the right time-table when there are many in the same railway system. If there are many branch lines and stations, there will probably be an index showing the numbers of the tables in which the station appears, and each of these must be ex- amined in turn to see which table shows the time for the route required. Always look first for the name of the destination, and then for the name of the starting point. If both cannot be found in one table, it will be necessary to search for some junction or transfer point and trace the route from the starting point to the junction point, and then from the junction to the desti- naion. Or there may even be two or three transfers. Next look for the time of the trains, first the starting time and then the time of arrival. Observe that p. m. time is usu- ally printed in black, and a. m. time in light-faced type, but this should be verified by looking also for the letters a. m. or p. m. On a slip of paper write first the name of the railroad, and then the starting time of each possible train. In a line below write the time of arrival of each train. Do this for each possible route. This is the information which the manager needs in order to decide which way he will go and at what hour he will start. The time of arrival of each train will be very important often in determining the route and particular train. When the route and train have been decided, the secretary is very likely to be asked to buy the ticket and also the sleeper. At least the secretary should telephone to the office of the rail- road and have a berth reserved, and at the same time find out the exact fare to destination and the price of the berth (upper berths are about 20% cheaper than lower berths, but unless there is a clear order to secure an upper berth it is assumed that a lower berth will be secured if there is one, and inquiry made of the manager before accepting an upper berth). The manager needs to know the exact fare, so as to provide him- HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 73 self with the proper amount of money. The secretary should inquire the amount of money desired, make out a "Cash" check for the amount, and secure it from the bank in time. CHAPTER VH How to Prepare Legal Forms The student must not suppose that because there are many different kinds of legal forms, there are as many different styles of arrangement and typewriter display. There is in general only one form of typewriter display, and that holds good in all parts of the country. Simple forms require little display, as for example, contracts, deeds, bonds, etc., which are not prepared for use in courts. In these the significant words at the beginning of certain paragraphs are capitalized, and that is all. Court forms and affidavits (which are chiefly though not exclusively used in courts) follow a pretty generally fixed style (which, however, may be consid- erably varied according to the taste of the operator), with essentials as follows: (1) All documents employed in suits or proceedings in courts, and affidavits, commonly begin with what is called the "venue" (state and county, followed by ss). (2) Then follows the name of the court and the term of the court if the case is in court. (3) The third item is the title of the case, usually the name of the plaintiff vs. the name of the defendant, and oppo- site that the number. In modern practice, every case is num- bered, and often has two numbers, a general number and a term number. The number should always appear in the title, and in many cases there is no other description. (4) Centered in the next line, and in capitals, is a descrip- tion of the document, as "Declaration," "Plea," "Intervening Petition," "Bill of Exceptions," or the like. 74 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE o o o BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Legal Notices Etate of Illinole ) )BS. County of Cook ) In the, matter of the Estate ) of Alfred Baker, deceased) In the Probate Court of Cook County .,* TO Edwin Famam, surety on the bond of Charles Davis, adoinistfator of Alfre(^ Baker, deceased: TAKE NOTICE that the undersigned, administrator of the estate of Alfred Baker, deceased, will, at the June term of said court to be holden at the county court house in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, on the 8th day of fl5*®',n,- •• P^°' *®"der to said court,, for its acceptance, his resignation of the office of administrator of the estate of said Alfred Baker, deceased Administrator of the Estate of Alfred Baker, deceased. Fig. 37. Form for Legal Notice. (1) The "venue" customarily appears in all legal papers as the first item. It is required by law in all affidavits. Either "Cook County" or "County of Cook" is correct. (2) The name of the court may be put all in capitals, or as shown here. When a case is already before the court, the term of court should always appear as part of this item, in the line immediately following. (3) The name or names of the persons chiefly concerned in the business in hand is the essential part of the title. It is never put in the middle, but always on the lefthand side. (4) The peculiarity of notices as such, so far as the type- writer is concerned, is that the person to whom the notice is addressed is introduced next, the words beginning as an ordi- nary paragraph, and a colon appears at the end of the address. Then the body of the document begins a new paragraph with the words ''Take Notice," which may well be written in capi- tal letters so as to show instantly just where the real notice begins. HOW^ TO TREPARE LEGAL FORMS 77 Court Pleadings state of Illinois ) )S8. County of Lake ) The Montgomery Company, a corporation. Plaintiff vs. The Hellman-Ringling Company, a corporation, et al , Defendants. IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LAKE COUNTY, To the June Tern of said Court, A.D., 1910. No 1849 INTERVENING P2TITI0J 0' CREDITORS To the Honorable, the Judges of the Circuit Court of Lake Count > , in Chancery sitting: Your Petitioners respectfully represent unto your Honors, as follows : 1. Your petitioners are creditors of the Hellman-Ringling Company, a corporation, etc. (Complete the petition) 3y_. Their Solicitors Solicitors for Intervening Petitioners Fig. 38. Form of Pleading. (1) If the case is actually in court the term of court should always be given, and this information should always appear on the righthand side of the page, following the venue, and a little below it, to balance the page. (2) A clear blank above and below *'vs." is considered necessary, and the words "plaintiff" and ''defendant" should be underscored, so that the exact status of the parties may be clear at a glance, but these words may be omitted. (3) The number of the case, if it is in court, should always be given opposite the names of the parties interested. Below this may appear in capital letters, a description or special title of the particular document in hand. 78 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE (4) The address to the judge may be put in capital letters and centered on the page, but the excessive use of capital let- ters, according to the old custom, is to be discouraged. Mod- ern usage prefers small letters, as they are more easily and quickly read. (5) Words referring to the principal parties are usually capitalized the first time they are used, but afterwards they are not capitalized. Reporter's Transcript of Testimony When a court reporter's testimony'is written up it is always for some special purpose, and should be headed in the form of a legal document. The usual form is that of a Bill of Excep- tions, but in a divorce case it is a Certificate of Evidence. See Fig. 39. (1) The ordinary stenographer is more likely to take tes- timony as a deposition, which is evidence taken at a distance from the place of trial, as when a firm sues for a debt con- tracted by mail or on an order sent in through a traveling man. The "caption" or heading of the case would be the same as if the document were made directly in court, but the title heading below the caption would be "DEPOSITION OF ," and the text would then read about as follows, without any particular display : "The deposition of of , County of , and State of , a witness of lawful age, produced, sworn and examined upon his corporeal oath on the day of , in the year of our Lord , at the office of , a No- tary Public, said deposition being taken under the authority and in pursuance of," etc. The questions are often written out as they are to be asked, blanks being left for the answers, and are then called "interrogatories." (2) If this were a divorce case we should have "Certifi- cate of Evidence" in place of "Bill of Exceptions," and follow- ing the title "IT IS CERTIFIED that heretofore, to wit, on the HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 79 State of Illinois ) )ss. County of Lake ) The Montgomery Co., Plaintiff The Hellman-Ringling Co. Defendant IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LAKE COUNTY, At the November TeiTn of said Court, A.D. , 1910. No. 189 BILL OF EXCEPTIONS BE IT REMEMBERED, That heretofore, to wit, on the tenth day of November, A.D., 1910, being one of the days of said term of said Court, this cause came on for trial before the Honorable Richard f. Groat, one of the Judges of said Court, sitting on the common-law side thereof, and a Jury, upon the pleading heretofore filed therein; APPEARANCES : Mr Charles I. Routledge For the Plaintiff; Mr John Dak in, For the Defendant. WHEREUPON, The plaintiff to maintain the issues on his part introduced the following evidence, to wit: OTTO CHRISTIAN ERICSON, produced as a witness upon behalf of the plaintiffs, being duly ewom testi* f ied as follows : DIRECT EXAMINATION By Mr. Routledge : Q What is your name? A Otto Christian Ericson^ Q Where do you live? A, At 2020 Indiana Avenue, Edgewater, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Q What is your occupation? A Isporting grocer. * Q What firm are you engaged with? A Merwin i Co. Q And their place of business? A At 137 Monroe Street Fig. 39. Reporter's Transcript of Testimony. tenth day," etc. In a criminal case the plaintiff would be "The People," and instead of "Bill of Exceptions" we should have "Indictment for Perjury" or the like. Notice that if the names are short and there is plenty of room on the page, the special title of the document may be placed to the right of the number. (3) It is the judge who really certifies all records of evi- dence, and at the end of the testimony the following form is used: 80 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE "AND FORASMUCH AS the matters above set forth do not otherwise appear of record, the complainant tenders this certificate of evidence, and asks that the same may be signed and sealed by the Judge before whom said cause was heard. "Which is accordingly done this tenth day of November, A. D. 1919. " Seal. "Judge of the Circuit Court of Lake County." (4) It would look better and be more strictly correct to make every question a paragraph and every answer a para- graph ; but to economize space (the lawyers pay the reporter so much a page and don't like to have the matter strung out too much), the answers may be run in after the questions, but the questions should always appear as paragraphs. Affidavit The following is an affidavit, intended to be attached to the petition of creditors, previously given. In an affidavit the "venue" is of indispensable legal importance. State of Illinois ) 1 )ss. County of Lake ) Dsiniel Hurley, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that he is the agent in this behalf of the creditors named in the petition attached hereto, and that he has read the said petition, and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 23rd day of January, A. D 1903. Notary Public. Fig. 40. Affidavit. Manuscript Covering Legal papers and the like, when prepared with formal care, should have a proper covering of heavy manila or colored paper. The cover paper should be the same width as the manuscript paper or a trifle wider, and about three-quar- HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 81 ters of an inch to an inch wider. Holes should be punched in the top of the manuscript and corresponding holes in the cover paper. The cover paper is then laid on the manuscript so that the top ends of each overlap, the top end of the cover facing toward the bottom of the manuscript, and coming about three-quarters of an inch over the top end of the manuscript. Brass fasteners are then put through the holes and bent down at the back of the manuscript. Next the cover is carefully folded down over the back of the manuscript, so as to make a -a >-* 3 O n^ PC n O 0) *» r-i ♦» f^ < fold over the entire top end of the manuscript. Notice that the bent-down brass paper fasteners come inside the cover, but do not include it. This leaves the back of the cover smooth so the rough fastener ends will not catch or scratch. Fig. 41 shows how the cover of a legal document is written upon to form the outside description. This narrow backing should be carefully placed between two folds, the second space from the top. To get the cover into the typewriter it will have to be folded, but the fold should come where a manuscript fold ought to be, anyway, so as not to make an extra crease in the cover. Usually the bottom quarter can be folded up inside, and the writing will then come in the middle of the surface remaining. This will be the most convenient place for getting it all in without interference with the end stops of the type- writer carriage. 82 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Every operator should be able to copy, forms of this kind neatly : SPECIFICATIONS by JOHH SMITH, ARCHITECT , Por two-story Brick and Frame Residence for Mr. J. Pox, Momence. Illinois. MASONRY. Excavation; Excavate thj ground to the depth shown by the drawings for area and 'rear basement only, and one foot larger all around than the outside of the building. Dig trenches for the footings of all the walls to the. depth shown by the drawings. Fill up and level around building as shall be directed by owner, using black soil for top filling. Leave bottom of basement level. Street, water, and building permits to be taken out and paid for by the mason contractor. Stone Work: Footings shall be of rubble stone. All stone and brick worh laid in mortar as follows: One part lime, three parts sharp, clean sand, measured. Brick Work; All brick for walls, piers, chimneys and fireplaces must be good, hard, well burned common brick, laid above ground in lime mortar, made in the proportion of two parts sand ajid one part lime. Outside of area walls should be plastered on outside 1-2" thick with Portland Cement mortar. Build chimneys as shown on plans, fill all Joints with mortar, and plaster the inside of all flues entire. Press Br4.ck : Chimney above roof shall be laid* in Portland Cement one part and sand two parts, to be |16.00 per M. red press brick. Final: Cover chimney with wire lath and plaster as required by City ordinance. Fig. 42. Specifications. N. B. Underscoring usually in red. Filling In Printed Forms Usually nowadays printed blanks are used for leases, con- tracts, powers of attorney, etc., and the secretary is called on HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 83 to fill them in. The important thing is to know how to do it correctly. First, the forms should be in duplicate, one for each party, and a carbon copy for the duplicate is best because that is an actual duplicate. In typewriting, use the variable spacer so as to get the type- writing on the dotted lines very evenly and neatly. Blanks may be filled up with pen-drawn lines in red ink. Fig. 43 shows a short lease form. Note how the date is written in, then the name of the party that owns the property to be rented, then the name of the party that is taking the property on lease, and after each name the address or place gives more distinct identification. Company names should always be followed by the words "a corporation," if the com- pany is actually incorporated, or by "a partnership," if the company is not incorporated, including the name of the partner making the lease, as "by John Smith, one of the partners." Observe that the lease may be between one ''party" and an- ottier "party" (singular or plural). Thus the verbs may be singular or plural, and the reference pronouns may be "his," "her," or "their," or in the nominative case "he," "she," or "they." The lower printed items have blanks only for the proper pronouns. In a lease the total rent for the entire term (whether one year, two years, three years, or the like) is given first, and then after the word "payable" the monthly payments are stated, usually with the addition "payable in advance on the first day of each month." Fig. 44 shows a printed form of building contract, refer- ence being made to the plans and specifications of some archi- tect who is named in the contract. Fig. 45 shows a printed power of attorney, with the ac- knowledgement of a notary public at the bottom. Deeds and mortgages are usually drawn by attorneys, and 84 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE % tf ? fi ! ^ 2t 2 e fi i \ 1 § i , i i H g i 1 * « 11 at c s M ° g r li ~u ; •o " 1 s ^ 1 l; 1: O: • ' « s 1 : S : 2 1; 1; IC fl IS i 5 i 2 • 1 •! • 1 f ii li •Hj^j g . ^ • o -. li ti |S • i li li li ^ f^l it i Oi •il g . ii4i 1 ■! i « li-li I; 1; 1 1 P^CQjl OiHi 1 a c 5 li li li li li li Oi«};l !>> i •! *S ^ li li • iSII j:-p i '= >• i li II K gi|i} ^ iSlil li li « 4^iCQi 1 i li i « 'dl li as! Ji i 1 11 i 5 4>i 1: §1^1 1 - ' ^!!i ^i ^1 : s 1 1 i •! 4> Ci li '^i Si 5: =• 1 •! »iiN! :3i li Wi t ^^i:! 1 :!« 1 •! •H s i li ^ k!'I +> 1 51 1 5 So 1 11 i Q ^i>i *1 i 11 8 tf ^^* llifl 2 8 "»« li 2 • t r J 5 S "go 1 li *: i 1 ti 1 1 1 2 • ScO i li tf ! 1 • • "S • 1 « to i li S. i ; ii -a i S li 1 1 8^5* = 1- s '• |: ^r§ tf 5 §. Ha ! !i U I I' (IJ® 1 4* s I Jd i li fl-H! S S li m^-*^ O u o ea4:» i w| ^ N fi Jg li b' t CB £ :^-h:3 i«! «P€ » •^ |i 9 -• 1 QO ; 08 >?<: ^ ^ *■ 3-s 1 s 1 qco iS! 1 c 1 ^ 2- "S i ^n ^ 1 l^S i^!^ C§ ^- 1 if'a ill Si lis IS i i § 5^i * •« 5 ZS =h:3 2^-1 •d -+3i bC "- C 1^ 1 S* 1 i-H 5©! Oa ^•H: i!3 22 if 1 i H H HI M I^O H $0 1 ; ^ r ; "i^ C ? i ^ ^ 1 '1 i ■c a: i: i = | « ^ ' ? • 1 I s § •S £ HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 85 2S 1^ S3 s^sl isil S^ *• 2:3 M«c.^ ^ i: §"5 &i Is 5^ i|a* «««S ^' a'' 38 ^1*5 "£55 23 5| fe- ll^S U^l fs °- -: !-5£- e|s5 S5 3 >» u — « — I i 86 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE iV «f August rf. 2?. .Mneteen fi«"»»* *"<^ nineteen BSTWUJi ,. The -Jterrlli Constructio n Coigpany ««.,.p- ^ W Ou Itnt part, and — JftmftH 3lnipnon, nf ghiftagft, TlUnMa — ****•• ''•'"••*""*f"r-»--- , --r"-T"-------»--rwiPT'j >a>ty of th» iteond part: ^ifntSSelb, That thi taid party »f the first part, for and in eontideraUon of the payvient to be made *^ |hein •y the aaid eecond party at hereinafter provided, do herehp eovenant. efnfract and agree ai COnstrUCt a brick and concrete fireproof dwelling at 4900 Magnolia Avenue ^ cailcago, Illinois- - .,. . ttcor^'n^ to the plane, tpeeifleatione and drattino*, made hy Harrl 8Pn JonCB ilrehitert, bi good, iUbttanttal and uorkmanlite manner, to the tatitfaetion of, and under the direction of the taid itrehiteeL rind taid ftret party alto doet agrei to find, proride and fumith tueh materialt of tueh kindt and fualUiet and deteriptUmt -t than he flu proper and tutneieni for completiny and finUhing •a^<^ d w elling-— --,.-. — — - « And the teeond party for and in eonsideration of the hrtt party eomMttly and faithfully eseeuUng the aforaaid work, and fumithinff alt the materialt therefor, to at fully to carry out thit eontraet, and the detign aeeording to itt true airit, meanino and intent, andjby and at the timet mentioned, and to the full and complete tatitfaetion of taid Trarrleon Jones S l/te Hrehitect and Superintendent at aforetaid, do hereby eyre, to pay to said ^irtTthe turn ^ nine .tjlOUSand^nl^^ iMiart, in manner foiiomny, ou.: 0"^ quarter whon the founJations are completed and accepted, one quarter whe n t he roof is finished, and the balance on the completion of the entire work— >,, ^t is further Agreed By the partiet hereto that in all cases the taid party of the first part tefori-iJUiJ shall be entitled to demand or receive payment for the uort, or any part thereof, done under thit contract, ihalt produce to tnid party of the second part, a writing or certificate under the hand of the said strtUtect and JBuperintendent aboti named, stating the amount due for materialt furnished and wort done by the said party of the first part as per tontract ^t is ^arlll^r ^gre$d That ail work exhibited or provided to be done in the plant or dravringt, and naf mentioned in the tpecifications, or vice versa, thall be executed and performed in litt manner at iff the tame wert'fviy mentioned and described in each thereof, respectively, without extra charge. ^t is also ^tt^lhtlf Agreed That the said party of the second part may make ait alterations by adding, omitting, or deviating from the aforesaid plant, drawings and tpecifications, or either of them, which hO thaU deem proper, and the tnid slrchitect thall advise without impairing the validity of thit contract, and in alt tueh catet (ha taid drcAitect thdlt value or appraite tueh alteration, and add to or deduct from the amount herein agreed to be paid to said nrst party the excett or dejtdency occationed by tueh alteration. It it further agreed that in cote any differenot of opinion thall arise between said partiet in/relation to the eontraet, the work to be performed under it, or in relation to the plans, drawingt and tpecifications hereto altered: the decision. Of Harrl HQn Jpriwa the tdrchitect, thall be final and binding on all partiet hereto. J^i is ^aritier Agreed That the party of the teeond part thall not in any manner be answerable or accountable for any lott or damage arising from negligence or earelessnesi of the first party to any person or personu and that property {lots or damage by fire excepted); alto that all the foregoirvi eanditioni- and stiptUations shall be wntuaUy binding upon executors, administrators and assigns. ^n ^^ncSS f^ertaf. The said partiet have hereunto tet their handt and tealt tha day and year first above Fig. 44. Building Contract. HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 87 ^mw all ^^[etj^lig Ihes^ presenl^, Sfeai Hamilton. Bardwell t Co., a corporation.' •flKe- City u)/ Chica RO -County of - Cpoi^ 5fa/« of Illinola hJ!3.-nuuU. eonttihUtd and appointed, and BT THESE PliESEJVTS do make, constitute and appoint Ji»n»w fl . Hamil^^y] ./ the^ CltX and State of -J^^yLJ(OTk_ »/_.New Yfirk._. .County of Manhattan -true and lawful Attorney >—for thom .and I their .nam^—. place and ttead to bids a n d ert er into contr ac t • BChoolbooka and acho ol supplies t o t he City of New York giving and grantin;* unto—^9^^0 ^ « B^gli-lt-QB gaid Attorney full power and atUhonty to do and perform all and every act and thing whatsoever, requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises as fully, to all intents and purposes, as *"*y might or eould do if personally present at Vie doing thereof, with full power of substitution and revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that — thelx^ said Attorney — or — hi > substitute shaU lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. S" ^estimonn ^^creo[,—J^9. rnd seal this- seventh -day of- Jiave hereunto set- February CXiT Jumd 19 1± Signeb, Staltb anb Deliptreb in Prestnct of 1 .^^. .S^. Fig. 45, Power of Attorney. — Ruling in red. 88 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE the necessity for filling in the forms is largely confined to the stenographers or secretaries of attorneys. Deeds and mort- gages when made must be sent to the "Recorder of Deeds" of the county in which the property is located, and for a variable fee (usually a dollar or two) he records the instrument and the recording makes it legally effective. The Law of Contracts About the only law that a private secretary needs to know is the ordinary law of contract. A contract may be either oral, in letters, or in a formal document. The chief objection to an oral contract is that it is hard to prove, though there may be witnesses. Human understanding differs, so the witnesses may disagree. Contracts made in letters are very good, and formal legal language is not at all necessary to make them binding. Here are the necessary steps : An offer must be made by the party of the first part. The offer must be accepted within the time fixed or within a reasonable length of time by the party of the second part, without condition. If a condition is made, the condition must be accepted by the party of the first part before the contract is finally binding. The offer of the party of the first part may be withdrawn a-t any time before it is accepted, but if within a reasonable length of time a letter is mailed accepting the offer, the con- tract will be binding as soon as the letter is mailed, even if at the same time a letter withdrawing the offer was also mailed but had not reached the party of the second part before he mailed his letter accepting. In all contracts the "minds of the, parties must actually meet," that is, they must be thinking of the same thing in the same way. If it can be shown that they were thinking of dif- ferent things, or in different ways, the supposed agreement will be held void. In the case of a formal written contract this HOW TO PREPARE LEGAL FORMS 89 difference of point of view will be hard or impossible to prove, but in an oral contract it is often a serious weakness. A\'hen contracts are made in a series of letters, each letter should refer to the preceding letter by its date, so that the chain or sequence will be very clear, and amounts of money or of anything should be given both in words and in figures, to prevent misunderstanding or alteration. Each party should keep copies of his own letters, and the copies should be signed the same as the original and at the same time. The chief objection to contracts by letter is that the long series of details makes a confused mass that may be hard to untangle at some future time so as to decide exactly what the agreement was. A short and definite offer in a letter addressed to the party of the second part by the party of the first part, and then indorsed at the bottom by the party addressed with the word "Accepted" over his signature makes a very good simple contract. While money paid to bind a contract is good evidence of an agreement, payment of money is not at all necessary, but there must be ''consideration," something must be given by both parties. A promise to make a free gift is not an en- forceable contract. The "consideration" may be many things besides money, as for example marriage, or between husband and wife "love and affection." A receipt for money is not binding if it can be proved that the money was not actually delivered or paid over. In case of a contract, an offer or "tender", to carry out or perform what is proposed is sufficient, even if the party of the second part re- fuses to accept the goods. If, however, the party of the first part does not supply the precise goods called for in the agree- ment, the party of the second part cannot be forced to pay. Since a contract is always open to proof of delivery or proof of tender, it is not as good security as "negotiable paper," as for example, a "promissory note" on which a judgment can be asked in court without proving the nature of the "value re- ceived" mentioned in every such note. 90 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE In case of contracts for service, it is generally understood that those hired by the week are entitled to a week's notice of discharge, those hired by the month to a month's notice of discharge, but if some flagrant abuse or offensive act can be proved against the person employed it is considered that he has terminated the contract by failure to perform the service as agreed, and no notice of discharge is required. There is no such thing as a perpetual contract for services, though a contract may be made for a long period of years, which amounts to much the same thing. In case of failure of a business concern, employees are usually by statute preferred creditors for the amounts due them as wages. Persons who owe money cannot be punished if they actu- ally do not have the money with which to pay, and in the dif- ferent states there are various "exemptions." For example, a workman is entitled to keep his tools and they cannot be taken away from him on suing him and getting a judgment for the debt. Neither can his clothes be taken away, nor his necessary household goods, nor such part of his wages as may be needed to feed and shelter him and his family. In any case it is not legal to take away the property of any man to satisfy a debt until judgment has been obtained in court and the property can be taken by process of law. If loans are made at higher than legal rates, the lender can compel the payment only of the original principal plus legal interest, which, however, varies considerably in different states. CHAPTER VIII Filing Filing is simply storing papers so you can find them quickly when you want them for reference. Some filing clerks seem to think it is putting papers into a graveyard from which they can be resurrected only at the judgment day; but this is an error. FILING 91 Fij Eux File. of no use unless a First, the filing must be done on a system, and the fil- ing clerk must un- derstand the system THOROU G H L Y. The greatest need in business offices to- day is probably trained and intelli- gent filing clerks, so far as the office routine is concerned, clerk knows how to A filing system manage it. Second, filing must be done with great accuracy and care. Otherwise, the important paper when needed cannot be found, and the filing system is pronounced a failure. Filing Letters. In small concerns letters are usually filed in the old-fashioned box file (Fig. 46). There are a number of leaves of strong manila paper with tabs on the sides bearing the letters of the alphabet (sometimes two or three letters on one tab). Correspondence from persons whose names begin with A is placed in front of the tab A, and so on. The latest letters are placed in front, so the older letters are at the back. This makes it easier to find a letter when you know about when it was received. Carbon copies of answers should be pinned to the back of the letters to which they reply, or the carbons may be written on the backs of the letters. This is very important. If one box file will hold all the correspondence of an office for three months or six months, it is the best thing to use. If the correspondence is very important and it is desired that it should be held securely in place where filed, the Shan- non flat file may be used. The letters are punched with two 92 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE holes at the top end, and by means of these holes are slipped on two spring wire arches. Of course, the top letters have to be turned over to the back of the arches so as to put on fresh letters at the right alphabetical point, and when the springs have been closed they are turned back again into a flat file. This is a very slow system of filing; but it is a good system for important documents such as estimates, contracts, etc. The modern system of filing for all classes of correspon- dence is the vertical file (Figs. 47a and 47b, showing cheapest form of vertical files, a stack of several units and a single unit). It is by far the speediest system for filing letters, the most economical of space, and the most easily adapted to a growing correspondence. The divisions or "guides" are about the same size and style as the guides in the box file, but stand on edge, with a rod running through a hole at the bottom, and a block Fig. 47a. Vertical File. Fig. 47b. Section of Vertical File. at the back that can be pushed up to keep the letters standing up in place when the file is only partly filled. It is in eflfect a "deep drawer" which m^ty l^e as much as t^venty-four inches from front to back, and one drawer will hold several thousand letters. Some vertical files have drawers only twelve inches from front to back. FILING 93 Systems for Filing Letters. There are in general use three leading methods of filing letters — the alphabetical, the geo- graphical, and the numerical — each the best of its kind for cer- tain purposes. All three may be found in the same office. Alphabetical Filing. This is the most widely used system of filing. If the correspondence is small, one vertical file drawer should be sufficient, the alphabet divided thus : TWENTY A E I-J N-O T B F K P-Q U-V C G L R W D H FORTY S X-Y-Z A Do-Dz Ho-Hz Me-Mi-Ml Se-Sm Ba-Be-Bh E I-J Mo-Mu-My Sn-Ste Bi-Bri Fa-Fi Ka-Ke-Kh N-O Sti-Sz Bro-Bz Fl-Fy Ki-Kz Pa-Ph T Ca-Ci Ga-Gl La-Le-Lh Pi-O U-V Cl-Con Gm-Gz Li-Ly Ra-Ri W'a-We Coo-Cz Ha Ma Ro-Ry \\^h-Wy Da-Dn He-Hn Mc Sa-Sc-Sd X-Y-Z SEVENTY-FIVE Aa Di Hu Mi Sch Am Dr I-J Mo Se Baa E Ka Mu SI Bas Fa Ke My Sn Be Fl Ki N St Bi Ga Ko O Su Bo Gi La Pa Ta Br Go Le Pf Ti Bu Gra Li Po-Q U-V Ca Gro Lo Ra Wa Ce Haa McA Re We CI Hap McG Ri Wh Co Has Maa Ro W^i Cr He Mas Sa A\^o Da Ho Me Sc X-Y-Z 94 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE These divisions have been given in order that students may practice on placing correspondence in the right places with reasonable speed. Practice guides may easily be made with heavy manila paper by writing on them the divisions given above, choosing either of the three methods. When a firm name is followed by a personal signature, the letter should always be filed under the firm name. In some cases the individual name alone may be given, but if the sub- ject of the letter is not on a different topic the filing clerk should see that it is filed under the original heading. To have some letters in one place and other letters in another is often the cause of difficulty in finding them. Mechanical filing ac- cording to the signature, without any consideration of what has previously been done, always leads to disaster. In filing correspondence in which there are likely to be more than six letters from any one con- cern it is best to use a folder like Fig. 48. The name is written on the higher or projecting side, and appears like one of the guide tabs. All letters from this firm are to be placed in the folder assigned to that firm. If there are too many Folder for Correspondence, letters for one folder, a second is used. All concerns with folders are placed in alphabetical order in front. Behind them, loose in the file, or in a miscel- laneous folder, are the letters with less than six from one concern. The latest letters are placed in front, so the oldest may be looked for at the back. No attempt is made to keep them in alphabetical order within the alphabetical division in- dicated by the guide. When any correspondent among the miscellaneous gets six or more letters he is given a folder with those in front, and all his letters are taken out of the miscellaneous section and placed in the folder, which is then FILING 95 given its proper place in front. Fig. 49 shows the miscel- laneous folder shaded ; it is commonly another color, say blue. Remember, IF A LETTER IS NOT PLACED IN EX- ACTLY THE DIVISION WHERE IT BELONGS, it is LOST, just as much as if it were thrown out of the window. Fig. 49. Alphabetical File WMth Folders. Misplacing letters in a file makes the file a graveyard instead of a living reference storage place. Considerable practice is necessary so that the mind will act quickly in three dif- ferent ways — 1. Reading the address with absolute and uniform cor- rectness (any guessing here is fatal), 2. Getting the letter in exactly the right division, 96 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE 3. Remembering just how previous correspondence has been filed so that if the names at the bottom of the letters vary, nevertheless all letters will go into the same folder or division. Filing in correct alphabetical order is not enough. The filing clerk must use brains and good judgment. Geographical Filing. When the name of the particular person who writes a letter is of less importance than the place from which the letter comes, geographical filing is always the most useful. For example, in bank filing there are hundreds Fig. 50. Geographical File — Chicago Subdivided Alphabetically. FILING 97 of "First National Banks," so that part of the name conveys very little information; but the name of the town and state immediately enables the filing clerk to find any letter. Letters in regard to school supplies may come from any one of fifteen or twenty different persons, but the town in which the school is located and the name of the school as a subdivision afford an immediate key that will enable any letter to be found, whether you can remember the name of the person who wrote it or not. In geographical filing (Fig. 50) there will be center guides with the names of states clearly printed. Behind each state there should be other guides with the names of the cities and towns. The larger towns may be printed on the tabs, and the names of other towns may be written on blank tabs. Observe that the states are arranged in alphabetical order. Then the towns in each state are in alphabetical order. If there are many correspondents in one city or town, there would be an alphabetical series of guides to separate those names in that town. In towns where there were few corre- spondents no attempt would be made at alphabetical order, but the latest letters would go in front, leaving the oldest at the back. One division marked "Foreign" might receive all letters except from such countries as Canada or Mexico, from which there would be enough betters to justify a special division marked Canada, Mexico, or the like. Numerical Filing. When each of the principal customers of a business concern has not only a great deal of corre- spondence with the house but is sending orders, receiving ship- ments, getting credits, tracing losses, etc., so that there are a great many different kinds of papers relating to the same busi- ness, as for example in the case of a wholesale house serving retail dealers who are sending in orders every few days, it saves time and confusion to give each customer a number, and then place that number on every letter, order, shipment, re- ceipt, or paper of any kind relating to that house. The eye 98 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE of the filing clerk learns quickly to catch a number out of its place and correct the error. Numbers are found more quickly than names or places. They are written more quickly and easily. They are often a more positive identification. In the letter file there is a folder or a guide with a number arranged in numerical order. Every hundred is in some different color or style, so the eye easily catches it. Every ten or twenty is usually also in a different color or style. Then each in- dividual folder, guide, or letter has its own number, usually in the upper right- hand corner, or on tabs cut away to show a di- agonal row of exposed numbers across the file. The eye learns to catch the hundreds, then the Fig. 51. Numerical File, with Clips. ^^^^ ^^ twenties, and finally the individual numbers with great rapidity and ac- curacy. That is a matter of practice and personal skill on the part of the filing clerk. See Fig. 51. An alphabetical card index shows the name of each cus- tomer in alphabetical order, and his number on the corner. (Fig. 52.) The clerk soon learns the numbers of all the prin- cipal customers whose accounts are in active use every day. The accounts that are seldom referred to must be looked u ;> in the alphabetical card index to find the number. Numerical filing is useful only when the majority of the accounts are very active and the numbers can be remembered. When reference to the alphabetical card index must be made all the time, numerical filing is a nuisance. Filing by Subjects. It seldom happens that general corre- spondence is filed by subjects, but in most offices there are certain kinds that should be filed in this way. Letters and catalogues giving prices on different kinds of goods a pur- FILING 99 SUBJECT NO. GloVtA DepflT^fiTiAnf. SfnrA 100 CROSS RRFERENCB John Caswell, "buyer !• Ferdinand, treas* Form 18 Fig. 52. Index Card for Numerical File. chasing agent may have interest in will come up only when a purchase of such goods is in mind. Of course, the purchasing agent will not remember the names of the persons or concerns which may have sent him catalogues or price-lists, but he will wish to have before him all catalogues, price-lists, and letters on goods of that kind so as to compare them. A subject file will keep these all in one folder or division, and the subject will be written on the tab. In a newspaper office, clippings or letters on a vast number of subjects will be kept in a subject file. In libraries, books are usually arranged on shelves accord- ing to a subject system, and then card-indexed according to authors, and also according to titles. Summary. A private secretary should be able to suggest the best way to file different kinds of things, so they can be found most quickly and conveniently, and also have some skill in finding them quickly, or in teaching subordinate filing clerks to find them quickly and surely. Here is a summary of the essentials: 100 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE 1. Filing clerks must be quick and accurate at reading names, like the letter distributers in postoffices, and should have practice and be tested before undertaking filing work. 2. Filing clerks should have a quick sense for catching the guide divisions with the eye, and accuracy in getting the letters, etc., in the right places ALWAYS. Fair accuracy is not enough. There should be a good memory for numbers and for names, so all letters from one person or house will be put in the same place, even if signed differently. 3. In alphabetical vertical filing, each correspondent with six letters or more should have a folder marked with his name or the name of the house, to be placed in front, while miscel- laneous correspondence is placed in a miscellaneous folder or division at the back. 4. The letters are to be placed in front of the guide that forms the index to them, not behind. The latest letters are placed in the front of any division, so the oldest come at the back. This makes it easier to transfer the older correspon- dence to the correspondence files at intervals. 5. Use alphabetical filing when the name is the thing that usually comes up or that is most easily remembered. Use geographical filing for businesses that extend over the country, when the place is the thing most easily remembered or that most naturally comes up for reference. Use numerical filing when there are very many different papers from the same con- cern received every few days, so that a number can be remem- bered and quickly written on every paper of every kind from that house, and quickly caught by the eye when reference is necessary. Use subject filing for quotations and the like when the subject is most easily remembered and all correspondence on that subject should be compared when reference is required. Transferring. Correspondence that is six months, a year, two years, or three years old is correspondingly less frequently referred to, and is usually transferred from strong, well built, active files to cheaper and less substantial transfer files, where FILING- 101 it is kept till it can be thrown away. ' TRer'e'are two methods of transferring. By one method there are two sets of files standing side by side. The first set of files is filled during six months, and then during the next six months the second set of files is filled. When that set of files is full, obviously the letters in the first set of files will be six months old, and can be taken out and placed in transfer files, which are nothing more than cheap pasteboard or wooden filing cases, which are all right because they w^ill seldom be handled. They may be small boxes sitting in rows on shelves, or they may be deep drawers twelve inches or twenty-four inches from front to back. The second method uses only one set of active files large enough to hold all the correspondence for a year or a year and a half. At intervals of six months the filing clerk goes through the files and takes out all the letters at the back of each division which are more than six months or a year old and places them in transfer files as described above. On this account it is very important that the older letters should always be at the back. Transfer files are marked with the dates, as *'from October, 1912, to April, 1913." A transfer guide card may be kept in the front of every active file, and when correspondence is transferred a notation made giving the exact dates from which to which letters have been transferred. The "Out" Guide. Since filing clerks are made responsible for finding letters quickly and surely, and will be blamed if they cannot be found, it is exceedingly important that they should not permit anyone to go to the files and take out letters without their knowledge. When a letter is taken out, a guide with a tab marked "out," in a special color, should always be inserted in its place, and on that guide should be written the date w^hen taken, by whom taken, and when returned by whom returned, with the name or number of the correspondent, so if any sheets are missing they can be traced. Strict adherence n :! 102 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE 7m V rccrV 'WTBCTfV. S^3: to this rule will prevent a great deal of trouble for the filing clerks and all concerned. Ruling is similar to that of Card Form 17, but the word "Out" is best on a tab at the top. Card-Index Filing. Guides are the heavy cards that separate the different divi- sions. Each guide usually has a tab on the upper edge, which may be only a projection of the paper, or may be celluloid or metal fastened to the paper. In order that tabs may not conceal each other they are placed at different points on the edge of the card from left to right, and a number of them form a diagonal across a tray of cards. When the entire space is di- vided into two parts, one-half cut away and the other projecting, the guides are said to be half cuts; when into thirds, one-third projecting at the left, one-third on another card in the middle, and one-third on another card on the right, the guides are said to be cut thirds, and so on with quar- ters, fifths, and tenths. Tenths are used for numerical filing. The full cut is also used. Cuts are the same for large letter guides and for small card guides. See Fig. 53. Guides should be selected which have tabs wide enough for the index words or names to be written easily upon them. Standard Card Sizes. There are only three standard sizes used by all card-index manufacturers, and cases and outfits in all particulars are designed to accommodate only these three sizes. They are 3x5 inches, 4x6 inches, and 5x'8 inches. The first two usually stand on the long edge, in a drawer five or six L£J Fig. 53. Showing Different Cuts for Guides. FILING 103 inches wide and three or four inches deep. The 5x8 cards usually stand on end, in a drawer five inches wide and eight inches deep. They are the common ledger card. The 4x6 cards may also stand on end. Card systems designed for odd sizes are nearly always impracticable. Clips. Small clips, often of different colors, may be slipped on the upper edge of any card to call attention to it. In the case of following up prospects, when it is desired that letters be sent at fixed dates two weeks or ten days apart, the cards used have the numbers from 1 to 31 printed in a row across the upper edge, each number indicating a day of the month. The clip is placed on the proper day, and the filing clerk will easily guess by the position just which day this name should come up for a follow-up letter. At the same time all the cards are in regular alphabetical order, and when a prospect writes in, his card can be found instantly. Yet all who need attention are distinguished. If the follow-up is to be carried out re- gardless of replies, a different system will be more convenient. See Figs. 51 and 54. i 2 3 4 5 6 1 8 9 lolupz 13 14 15 16 17 13 n 20 21 22 23 24 :S 26 27 28 29 a> 31 JjSis. Ind, Town Fftrftflt. mn Globe Department Store luting JiZ. Addres. q/o Mr. Casfrell Underwear line T.ftttftr 1J^9 Printed matter /a. 331 33 4 7t«r 5 6 7 8 Form letters / X 3 y ««"""■ Aflk Mr, Johnaon^Q call next trip. Form 2 Copyright, 1 909, by Shtrwin Cody Fig. 54. Follow-up Cards on Which Clip May B^ Used. 104 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Foilow-Up Letter System. When the follow-up letter should be personally dictated, or may vary to correspond to different classes of ''prospects" (persons or firms who may be- come customers, or who have made inquiries looking to future purchase), the following system is the best : The letter is given a folder on the side of which is printed blank spaces for recording what letters and circulars have been sent (Fig. 55). One column is marked by the correspondent with the date on which the letter is to come up again for at- tention. The filing clerk on receiving this letter makes out a card with the name or number and date on which the letter is to be called up, and places it in a special file, which may have a set of center guides showing each month of the year, each month guide being followed by 28 to 31 day guides, one for each day of the month. The card that has been made out is placed in front of the guide showing the date on which it is to be called up, which may be months in advance. Then the folder with the letter is placed in its alphabetical order in the regular letter file. If the prospect writes in before the date set for future attention, the correspondent will call for the letter file folder and after dictating his reply will change the call-up notation. The filing clerk should notice this when the folder comes back for filing and take out the call-up card from the file of days and months. A more extended discussion of looseleaf and card systems will be found at the end of this book. CHAPTER IX. Duties of a Private Secretary: Meeting people, telephoning, sending telegrams and cables, looking up references. A private secretary is a success largely in proportion to the development of diplomatic ability in handling people. DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 105 T •O ' 1 " §1? © »r-» J - -^ t ♦» 1 - i! m g o *4 lis a^° g^ Is ' 8? i3» Or^t: O^ f5 i Ss^ s is M 0) oaco III g ca II oc O m < Tt Kr-t ^2 1? i^'U Li C 1^ :3S5 Sg, 3 ore 1 ^= °°" 1 uoao §§5 E, o » > a>r4 O U 3) i 1 » Q Pi S _ >» ~r ~j~ ~ -]- T* = ^=^ ^g SCO s 1l i^-^ 5 •PC O C ^° $1 00 03 yj .^ "^ 1 m "1 il O, -P tS5^ 3 0»< o o 0} s u%^ J4 +» •r4 Id ^~ 551^ ■~" — "~" "~" S-h' r^ «» U • » A ri e O -H •H-PJ4 ^u^ («Kl<«i o a ?Ss fe e :5^§ S^5 K e ^*3^ ^"•s ^^M O 1 o a i« ^^^^ •'j^ s ■H 0) 0) ^E? 3;§ s fe ^ 1 >S. «-3 d^& 1 g b 1 V,J3 -H ♦^ o- StiH o o OJ 3 CJ ^^ _ x^S te H o ssMo^maL laaMJ In the first place, tartness of speech, indifference of man- ner, losing one's temper under any provocation, disqualify the private secretary. These are negative qualities, but they 106 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE spring from lack of cultivation of a very positive and important quality, self-control. An iron self-control is the leading char- acteristic of an executive, and the private secretary must be a substitute executive, a little manager, a reflection of the head of the house, only more suave and diplomatic and adaptable. In these last characteristics the private secretary must be su- perior to the manager. He is hired for his expertness in these lines, just as an expert accountant is hired for his expertness in figures and accounts, a stenographer for his expertness in shorthand and typewriting, etc., subjects of v^hich the manager knows little or nothing. Women make ideal private secretaries and assistants to the manager; They have the advantage over men that they are more sympathetic with the original ideas and desires of their superiors, better reflectors, than men. They rather lack the strength and force of character to handle difficult people and make them do the things desired, but in executing a multitude of peaceful details they are distinctly superior to men, as a class. There are exceptions on both sides. The first duty of a private secretary is to meet callers in the absence of the manager, or to shield him from time- wasting callers when he is in his private office. How shall this be done? Let us give an illustrative typical conversation. A business man enters and asks, *Ts Mr. Jones in?" Secretary: *T will see." (It is not necessary to say "Yes," even if you know he is in.) **What did you wish to see him about?" Man : "I wanted to see him on a private matter. Just give him my card." The card shows a life insurance agent. Secretary : "Mr. Jones is very much engaged this morning. I doubt if he could see you for an hour." A life insurance agent is not likely to be willing to wait for an hour. Man: "When could I see him?" Secretary: "It is hard to say, he is always so busy. Couldn't you call up on the telephone just before you were DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 107 coming over and find out?" Man leaves. The secretary has got rid of him nicely, but takes the card in to Mr. Jones so he can call him up and make an appointment if he really does wish to see him. It is not safe to try to find that out at the time, however. Another case : A shabby little man enters. Man: "Is Mr. Jones in?" Secretary: "I will see. Who shall I saw wishes to see him?" Man: "Say Smith is here." Secretary: "Have you a card?" Man : "No, I haven't." Secretary: "Will Mr. Jones know who you are?" Man : "He ought to." The secretary goes in and says Mr. Smith wishes to see Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones never heard of Smith, or else knows so many Smiths he can't tell which one this is, and asks the secretary to find out what he wants. Secretary (returning) : "Mr. Jones is in a conference just now. I am his secretary. Perhaps I could assist you to find out what you wish to know." Man: "It is a personal matter. When can I see him?'* Secretary : "If you could explain to me what you wish to see him about, I might help you get an appointment." The man tells the secretary what he wants. The offer to help him with the manager, made in a sympathetic tone, was what won his confidence. It was unsafe to be rude to the shabby little man, as he may have been president of the biggest corporation with which the firm was doing business. If he was important, Mr. Jones would wish to see him immediately. He would be more irri- tated at missing an important caller than at seeing an unim- portant one. When he has worked for months to get Mr. Smith to come over, it would be the irony of fate to have the private secretary send him away on the supposition that he 108 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE was some sort of beggar. The novice is very likely to make the mistake of sending the important man away. It is really more necessary to know whom to let in than whom to get rid of. Telephoning A private secretary should have a good voice, one that does not break in talking over the telephone, a low, sweet, carrying voice. This can be cultivated just as well as speed in writing shorthand. The manner must not be too slow nor too quick. Too great quickness is objectionable because many people can think only so fast, and unless what is said to them occupies a certain length of time it will not sink into their minds so they will comprehend it. Too great slowness irri- tates them. The golden mean is particularly valuable in tele- phoning. First, how shall the secretary get on the wire a person who is wanted by Mr. Jones? Asking the telephone operator to get an important man on the wire, and then keeping him waiting four or five minutes while the telephone operator is getting Mr. Jones is bad business. The private secretary should get the important person at the extension phone be- side Mr. Jones' desk, so Mr. Jones can take the receiver in- stantly, or can take down his own receiver without delay. The good private secretary will be able to judge accurately just when Mr. Jones will be able to talk, and wait until he will be ready. On calling up the number the secretary will first get the central operator in a large office, and will ask for Mr. Blank (the important man). Mr. Blank's secretary will respond and will wish to know who he is. Mr. Jones' name, position, and business should be stated promptly and courteously, just as the private secretary would like to have the same information given to him or her by an outsider. When Mr. Blank is on the wire don't say in a hurried tone, "Wait a moment, please." Remember that Mr. Blank does not yet know who it is, and DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 109 his ignorance may make him impatient. Say at once, "Is this Mr. Blank? Mr. Jones of the Jones Milling Corporation wishes to speak to you." This implies that he should wait a moment without bluntly telling him to wait. Now let us consider incoming calls. The central operator gets a call for Mr. Jones and connects with his wire. The secretary answers the telephone, and says, not "Hello," but "Mr. Jones's office." "Is Mr. Jones there?" Secretary: "I will see. Who shall I tell him wishes to speak with him?" Mumble. Secretary: "Pardon me. I don't catch the name. Would you kindly spell it? Senton? S for Samuel? Oh, Fenton? F for fix? What shall I tell Mr. Jones you wish. to speak to him about?" Mumble. Secretary: "I am Mr. Jones' secretary, and if you would tell me just what you wish I will try to find him." He wishes some information which the secretary can give him just as well as Mr. Jones himself, and when he gets the information he no longer insists on speaking with Mr. Jones. It is not necessary to tell lies and say Mr. Jones is out when he is sitting beside you. There are plenty of non-com- mittal answers which will mean delay, and delay is the weapon of the secretary in putting off undesirable callers. Then the offer of sympathetic personal assistance in getting the desired attention is almost certain to draw out the information that is desired. The object, however, is not merely to put off callers, but to perform courteously for the manager what the caller de- sires. A spirit of real helpfulness, even an eagerness to be of service to all comers, should be in the secretary's mind back of the dilatory tactics. Some managers see all comers because they feel that courtesy to callers of all classes is the best policy 110 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE in the long run. If a secretary would intervene and perform those courtesies satisfactorily, there is probably not a manager who would not be delighted and aided. The waste of time with callers who have no real business is a serious loss to nearly all business men. This loss is not as serious, however, as the loss of business through curtness and discourtesy even to those who appear to be humble callers. The small customer may at any time become the large customer, and the rule of moH'ern business is and should be, perfect courtesy to all. The humblest fellow-citizen is entitled to courtesy. Telegrams and Cables. Telegrams, when delivered, must be signed for, and it is usual for the secretary to sign the name of the superior, fol- lowed by his or her own initials or name. It is always best to write telegrams to be sent on the blanks furnished by the companies, either the Western Union or the Postal. When the telegram is ready, in most districts a mes- senger will be sent from the telegraph office on signal of a special messenger call or request over the telephone. Usually messages are paid in advance, unless sent in reply to some inquiry on request of the party at the other end, who in that case expects to pay the return message charges. In other cases the telegraph company charges the cost of the message to the concern, or if the amount to be paid the messenger is not known, a due bill will be sent around later. There are three different rates, with which the secretary ought to be familiar. A regular day message allows sending the full name and address of the person or firm to which the message is sent, and the full name of the sender,' but not his address, with ten words in the body of the message. Then additional words are charged additional at one cent up. Note that every figure is charged as a word, so that "125" would be charged as three words. Numbers should be spelled out, and "125" written as "hundred twenty-five," charged as two words and less liable to DUTIES OF A PRR'ATE SECRETARY 111 mistake. Figures in a telegraph message are dangerous and objectionable. A day letter allows fifty words instead of ten to be sent at once and a half the regular rate for ten words, but such mes- sages are subject to delay. A night letter allows fifty words at the regular day rate for ten words. Delivery is made usually on the following day. The important thing in writing a telegram is to say very distinctly and clearly what is to be said. It is usually desir- able to try wording the message in several different ways till the clearest and most positive way is found. All the small words should be inserted in their proper places. Do not write the message in the first place in an abbreviated style, as it is often confusing to the mind of the writer, who is thereby mis- led into vagueness. When the message is satisfactorily stated in simple, direct, clear style, the writer may go over the message to see what small words would be clearly understood if omitted. Do not leave out anything you would not be sure would be readily filled in by the person receiving the message. There is noth- ing sacred about the ten-word limit. If what you wish to say can be said in less than ten words, do not try to make it up to ten. At the same time if the message exceeds ten words, do not violently cut out important words to make it within the limit. It is better to pay a few cents additional. Especially try to avoid words which might sound like other words, or differ from words only by a letter. Cables are received by the telegraph companies as well as by the cable companies themselves. They are telegrams that go under water over specially protected wires, usually to for- eign countries. The charge for cables is for every word, including the name and address of the person or firm addressed and the sig- nature of the sender. The rates are comparatively high, as for example, twenty-five cents a word from New York to Europe. 112 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Registered cable addresses are arranged to save words, a single registered word indicating a complete name and ad- dress. In order that there may be no confusion the telegraph or cable companies will register at their offices a word which they look up and prove to be used by no other concern, and which has not previously been registered. To be sure about this, all the companies compare notes. Any name once regis- tered is protected and cannot be taken by anyone else. A name registered with any one company may be used on messages sent over all others, as they exchange registers. A registered address usually consists of two words, one the name of the town or city, as New York (counted as one word), Chicago, London, Paris, and the other indicating the individual address in that town or city. Thus "Jobar, Chicago," may mean Jones, Barton & Co., 34 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, Illinois." This ad- dress is then counted as two words in the message. Codes. In order to send a long message, business houses often use published code books such as the A, B, C, the West- ern Union, etc., or a privately arranged code. Every code word must be a real word in a recognized language, not an arbitrary combination of letters or figures. No word should contain over ten letters if it is to be charged as one word. One word, as "cod," may mean "we are sending you by the next steamer C. O. D. the invoice of goods contained in your order of," the next word being the date of the order. If it is not possible to agree in advance on a particular code, the message may start "abc code," indicating that the rest of the message is to be interpreted by the A, B, C code book. Cable letters admit ten or twelve words at perhaps the usual charge for four or five (each office has a fixed rate), when delivery may be delayed until the next day. Cable rates vary in diflferent places to dififerent countries, because made up of a primary charge for the cable itself, combined with cost of the land telegraphing at either end, first from the starting point to the coast cable office, and at the other end from the cable office to the inland telegraph office. DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 113 Cipher is simply a secret code, habitually used by govern- ments in diplomatic messages. Looking up each word in the code book and writing out the message in plain language is often the duty of a secretary. It is much like translating from a foreign language, and considerable judgment is required, as the code phrases are often only approximately what is intended to be said, and little changes suggested by common sense may be written below the literal translation by the secretary, to help the manager get the real meaning more quickly. All such changes should be written in a separate line below, so the superior can judge whether the change is judicious or not. Special Duties of the Social Secretary Persons of wealth often employ so-called social secretaries, who usually should be college graduates and accustomed to polite society. Good manners are an indispensable requisite of the social secretary, and any one not possessed of them should not aspire to such work. One of the first duties of the social secretary is to keep a record of appointments, and faithfully remind the employer (whether man or woman) that these appointments should not be neglected. They may be kept on a calendar pad on the study desk, the hour of appointment and its nature being jotted down days ahead if necessary. Or they may be kept in a little pocket appointment book which has half a dozen lines under each day of the year. The calendar pad on the desk will always be available for the employer or secretary, and will not be likely to be missing when wanted. Persons like Miss Helen Gould maintain a staflf of secre- taries to look after charities, and each charity should have its "social ledger" account. The personal investigation of each charity and the periodical inspection of its progress is a spe- cial duty of the social secretary. Another special duty of the social secretary is to look after household accounts. It is a common thing for persons of wealth to indulge in raising fancy chickens, which they ex- 114 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE hibit at fairs or poultry shows, and which they try to make profitable. If they can make it pay as well as gain distinction in exhibits, the game is regarded as successful. It is largely a form of sport. The social secretary is expected to keep the books and find out whether or not it does pay. The best methods of keeping such accounts are described under the head of ''Household Bookkeeping" in the chapter on "Business Papers." How much it costs to maintain an automobile, or a country house, or the like, is information the social secretary should understand how to get. Paying Taxes The social secretary should always look after the taxes, on which there may be fines or losses if they are not paid at a certain time. Personal taxes are levied upon money in the bank, furni- niture, clothing, etc., and usually a "personal property sched- ule" is given out by the tax assessors during the months of March, April, or May. This blank form should be obtained at this season and a list of taxable property sworn to and filed with the assessors. If the assessors place the taxable property too high, the matter may be taken before the board of review, which meets usually during the summer immediately after the assessors have finished their work. The social secretary ought to go to the office of the assessors and find out what assessment has been made, so that an appeal can be taken to the board of review before it is too late. After the board of review has finished its work the assessment cannot be changed. To think of these things and look after them at the proper time is the important matter. Real estate is assessed somewhat differently. Usually the same assessment continues for four years, and no change is made between times. Taxes assessed this spring will be payable next year some DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 115 time after January 1. Usually the payment must be made in March, April, or May, or fines will begin to accrue. Then some time during the summer the property will be sold for taxes at public auction, if the tax has not previously been paid. After property has been sold for taxes it is necessary to find the person who bought the taxes and arrange to redeem the property by paying the taxes with fines and an added percent- age, which is profit to the person buying. This is fixed by law, and the secretary should find out from the county clerk just what it is. What taxes are due and when they must be paid can be found out by writing to the county treasurer. Collecting Rents When houses or flats are owned, it sometimes happens that the secretary is expected to collect the rents instead of paying a broker or agent to do it. The important thing in collecting rents is to make the de- mand promptly when the rents are due. If the tenants are poor it is usually necessary to call on them on the first day of the month. If they are of a better class, it is usual to send to each a bill for the rent that will be received on the first day of the month. Rents are usually payable in advance. If this bill is not paid by the tenth of the month, a telephone inquiry may be made. If it is not paid by the fifteenth or twentieth, a call will usually be in order. A printed form of receipt should always be ready and a written receipt given when the rent is paid. A book of receipt forms can always be bought for a few cents. Property is usually rented on lease. Leases may be by the month or by the year. Most leases by the year start on May 1. and should Le renewed at least two months before that date. On March 1 the secretary should call on the tenant to get the lease renewed, so that if the tenant is not to continue, advertisements may at once be inserted in an eflFort to find new 116 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE tenants. Neglect to attend to these things promptly often re- sults in vacancies and loss. Usually there is a clause in the lease stating that the tenant has an option to renew the lease on or before a fixed date, so that he understands that he must give a definite answer on that date and not wait until his term of lease has expired. Some tenants think they need not de- cide about continuing until the last day of April. When tenants do not pay they should be followed up per- sistently with the help of a lawyer if necessary, who will ad- vise what steps are to be taken. Collecting Dividends and Interest on Bonds When stocks are held, the dividends, if any, will be payable on certain fixed dates, once, twice, or four times a year. The secretary should examine stock certificates and find out when dividends are regularly due, and ascertain whether they have been paid or not. There is also an annual stockholders' meet- ing at which the holder of the stock may wish to be repre- sented. He can give the secretary his proxy to attend the meeting and vote his stock. Bonds are of two kinds. Coupon bonds have little in- terest coupons attached which are to be cut off and presented through any bank for payment when they become due. The secretary should watch these coupons and see that they are sent in at the proper time. Other bonds are registered bonds, and the interest may have to be collected at a certain place on a certain date. Mortgages also may have special interest notes which should be presented for payment at the time they become due, or of which notice should be sent in writing. Other mortgages have no special interest notes, and a demand should be made for the interest at the proper time. It is usually best to give notice in advance a week or two, that the person who is to pay may be reminded that the pay- ment will become due, and he may be prepared to meet it at the proper time. Promptness in sending these reminders has a great deal to do with success in making the collections. DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 117 Looking After Insurance Houses or other buildings and personal property should always be carefully protected by fire insurance, and the secre- tary should examine the policies, see when they expire, and provide for their renewal. Usually it is best to employ an insurance broker, who makes it a business to watch expira- tions and attend to their renewals, but the secretary should check the matter up also. Usually it costs less to take up policies for three years or five years than for one year. At some time during leisure the secretary should look over the policies and see just when they expire so as to have in mind the dates of expiration. Life insurance policies are also important. Usually the premiums are paid yearly, and if not paid on the exact date when due cause the policy to lapse. While notices of prem- iums due are usually sent in advance through the mail, the secretary should inform himself about such policies, so as to look them up if for any reason the notice sent through the mail fails to reach his employer through absence, moving resi- dence, or the like. The good secretary will go over all these things during leisure moments so as to get them well in hand and not allow any point to slip by unnoticed. The chief duty of the social secretary is to remember all these little items and see that they are attended to whether his principal remembers them or not. Write Everything Down Everything to be called to the attention of an employer should be placed before him in writing. To pour into his ear a long story when his head is already filled is a sheer waste. If a personal explanation must be made, first write briefly what you have to say, and then explain with the written memorandum in your hand to be left. 118 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE Reference Books It is very often the duty of a secretary to get exact infor- mation from a reference book and place it before the superior in compact and usable form. The reference books most often used in an office are the fol- lowing : City Directory. Telephone Directory. Dictionary. Encyclopedia. Atlas. Mercantile Agency books. Shipping guides. City Directory. The surnames are arranged alphabetically, and we first look for the surname. Then the given names are arranged alphabetically following the surnames, and we follow down the list to the given name we wish. A small "r" usually indicates the residence address as immediately following, but "res" is also used. Observe that usually the sign & is counted as the last letter of the alphabet, so that "Smith & Jones" would usually follow all the individual Smiths, but probabh' "Smith, Jones & Co." would come after "Smith, James." Methods vary a little in different directories. Business directories are often to be found at the end of the main part of the city directory. Each business has its place in alphabetical order, and then the names are in alphabetical order following the general title of the business. Under what business heading a given business man or firm will be found may be a matter of judgment. Lawyers may be classified as "attorneys" or "lawyers," business colleges under "business," under "college," or under "schools." Ingenuity and judgment must be used in order to find what is wanted. Often when the given name has been forgotten and there are many individuals in the main directory with the same sur- name, as in case of "Smith," for example, if the business is DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 119 known the correct address may be found in the classified sec- tion, as there will be only one or two Smiths conducting busi- ness colleges, for example, so the number to choose from is narrowed down often to one individual of that surname. Telephone directory. The telephone directory is the most accurate and up-to-date directory published, as it is corrected often four times a year, and a new edition is nearly always issued soon after moving time in May. As only the larger and better firms and individuals have telephones, it is a selected list and easier to refer to. It usually has a classified section as well as a general section. Dictionary. A good dictionary, reliable and up to date, and not too small, such, for example, as Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, compiled from the International, or the Student's Standard, compiled from the Standard Dictionary, should be found in every business office. Cheap dictionaries and very small dictionaries are to be avoided. It is impossible to look up a word in the dictionary intelli- gently unless you know what part of speech it is. If the word is used as a verb, you look in the dictionary for such a word with a small v after it ; or if it is a noun, a small n after it, and so on with the other parts of speech. Unless you know the parts of speech you cannot look up words in the dictionary satisfactorily. Then when you find the word you really want, if you are looking for the definition, you must often choose between several. The first meaning is usually the most primitive, and so may be the least common. Which meaning you require you can judge only by the context. So when you are asked to look up a word in the dictionary you should always get the sentence in which it is used ; otherwise it may be impossible to find what is really wanted. Encyclopedia or Cyclopedia (both forms of this word are in equally good use). If you wish an explanation of subjects, persons, or places, you must refer to a good cyclopedia, one 120 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE that is revised up to a recent date. You look first on the backs of the vohimes for the division of the alphabet in which the key word falls. The name of a person may be found several times, and some slight knowledge of which one it is must help decide which article to read. The same applies to places. The name of a town may be that of a place in Kentucky, Canada, or Europe, and some slight knowledge is necessary as a clue to get the rest of the information desired. Looking up subjects is done best by use of the Index vol- ume, a separate volume of many cyclopedias found at the end of the set. Here will be found the general subject, and then under that many different phases or divisions of the subject, arranged in alphabetical order. The subject may be referred to in a paragraph or two in half a dozen different articles, each of which will be referred to by the volume number in Roman figures, followed by the page in Arabic numerals, and then often the place on the page as the beginning, middle, or end, is indicated by a small letter, as a, b, c, or d. An explanation of the system used may be found at the beginning of the volume. Atlas. Finding a town oji a map is often difficult unless a system is used. Usually a table of contents in the front of the atlas will give the page on which the particular map de- sired may be found. Then on the side of the map, or some- times at the back of the book on a page to which reference is made, a list of counties or towns will be found either in alpha- betical order or in order of population. After each town there is likely to be a letter and also a number. The letters will per- haps indicate latitude lines or territory between latitude lines on the sides of the map, and the figures will indicate meridian lines or territory between meridian lines at top or bottom of the map. The place will then be found in the square at which these two meet. Or in any case the latitude and longitude may be found in a cyclopedia or gazetteer, and these lines fol- lowed down will meet at a certain point at which the town will DUTIES OF A PRIVATE SECRETARY 121 be found. It is usually much quicker to follow a system like this than to hunt all over a map at random for half an hour or so. Note that a reference dictionary of places is called a gazetteer. Mercantile agency books. The credit rating of business firms is given in what are called mercantile agency books. The oldest and best known mercantile agencies are those of Dun and Bradstreet, and each issues two or four times a year an enormous book giving the credit ratings. These books are loaned to the subscribers, and belong to the agencies. When the new book is issued the old one is taken back. The infor- mation contained in them is supposed to be confidential. If any business firm is not a subscriber, the desired information may be obtained by going to the bank where one's deposits are kept and asking to be allowed to look at the bank's copy of Dun or Bradstreet. A special report on any concern or individual may also be obtained from the agency, either by a subscriber direct, or through the bank, on payment of a small fee, usually 50 cents. Secretaries should understand how to find ratings, and v/hat they mean when found, as. the work of looking up references is often left to them. The names are arranged on the geographical system. First the states of the Union are given in alphabetical order. Under the towns, which are followed by the counties, will be found the names of the business firms in alphabetical order. Three different steps must be taken in order to find any name. Opposite each name will usually be found two letters, or a number or figure and a letter. The exact system used will be explained in the front of the book, and this key to ratings should be carefully studied before a reference is looked up. Two different facts are of interest in regard to any busi- ness firm or individual. The most important is whether he is honest and pays his bills promptly, and the other is how much money he is worth, or for how much it is safe to trust him. 122 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE WISCONSIN. Dun's Ratings Jerseyport, Harding Co. ' for same. Chambers, K. W., blacksmith F M Frederick, Geo. P., butcher Z F H 3 Galloway, Joseph H., drugs Z F 4 Groome, W. F., G. S U C G 3 Hilyard, W. J., gro. and prov WD H 3 Gusta, Curtis G. Co., coal, Ibr., etc SC F 3J/2 Kiamensi Pottery Co., firebrick TC 4 Krebs Chemical Co., mfg. chem NA C 1^^ Lowe, J. Harry, G. S Z F 3 Medford Fertilizer Co. (Inc.) (branch of New York City) R B Phillips, John W., shoemkr Z F J 3 Inside the front cover will be found the key to ratings, which in condensed form is as follows, for Bradstreet : 1 high 2 good 3 fair G— Over $1,000,000 Aa N— From $1 50,000 to $200,000 A R— From $35,000 to $50,000 B S_From $20,000 to $35,000 C T— From $10,000 to $20,000 C U— From $5,000 to $10,000 C W— From $2,000 to $3,000 D Z— From to $500 E Fictitious Extract from Bradstreet. The letter in the first column shows the wealth in dollars, and the letter in the second column shows the general credit rating with reference to honesty and general mercantile ability. No man with less than $500 capital should be given much credit, so the highest letter such a man can have is E on gen- eral credit, while F means second rate. Up at the top, a man with much wealth rated C would be considered poor pay, though such that you could force him to pay by going to law. To get a man's credit you must see what is the highest letter under his rating for wealth. Thus Z F means a man has less than $500 in wealth, and is a poor payer even for what he has — no rating at all could be worse. A B B C C D D E D E D E E F F PRINTING 123 In Dun's system a letter indicates the wealth, Aa being equivalent to "over a million," F from 810,000 to $20,000, G from $5,000 to $10,000, H from $3,000 to $5,000 and J from $2,000 to $3,000. The general credit rating is indicated by numbers in four columns instead of three. For a low wealth rating the highest credit rating would be 2^/2. When no wealth rating is indicated, a number indicates the column, 1 high, 2 good, 3 fair, and 4 limited. Where only 4 appears after a name the rating could not be worse. In case of a branch, it is necessary to look up the home office to get rating from Dun's book. Shipping guides. The express companies have books ar- ranged geographically showing the rate per hundred pounds to every express office in the country, whether on their own lines or those of another company. If the office is not on their lines they will take a package and transfer it to the other company that does have an office there. The rate for weights less than a hundred pounds may be found in a table at the front or back of the book, where the rate per hundred pounds is first found, and then down the column the rate for any fixed weight less than a hundred. There are similar books for freight shipments, privately published, showing the different routes over which a freight package may be sent, and diflferent classifications, as the rates on small, heavy articles like iron, and large, light bodies like trunks would be very different. This subject is so compli- cated that it is usually left to an expert shipping clerk. CHAPTER X Printing It is frequently the duty of private secretaries to order office stationery and printing, and supervise the printing of letterheads, circulars, and booklets, preparing dummies and reading proof. Occasionally there is need to prepare display 124 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE advertisements. Some familiarity with the terms of printing, and the details of paper, etc., is desirable. Printing. The invention of printing has made modern life what it is, and the terms and methods used are much the same the world over. The general subject divides itself into three divisions, (1) composition, or typesetting, (2) paper and press- work, or printing the type on paper by means of a printing press, and (3) binding, or folding, sewing or stitching, and casing up or covering, so as to make a bound book or pamphlet. Composition. Ordinary type is set by hand, and has a metal body. Very large type for posters, cards, etc., some- times has a wood body. The linotype machine sets by the touch of keys (like typewriter keys) what are called matrixes, and casts an entire line of type, all on one solid body. The monotype machine casts lines made up of individual types such as are usually bought at the foundries and set by hand. The sizes of type are now usually measured by what is called the point system, 12 points to the inch. Type a sixth of an inch high would be eight point, a twelfth of an inch high, six point, etc. The letter m is square, as broad as it is high, and the letter n is half as broad as it is high. These sizes without letters on them are used as spaces, and are called m quads and n quads. Strips of metal between lines are called leads, and are most commonly two points thick. Leaded eight-point is therefore as high from bottom of line to bottom of line as solid ten-point. The commonest sizes of type are the following: Agate, or 5^ pt., commonly used in newspaper classified advertising, and accepted as the standard size for measuring all advertising, a line of advertising being figured as an agate line; Nonpareil, or 6 pt., the common body face of newspaper reading matter; newspapers also use 7 pt. ; Brevier, or 8 pt., the common magazine body face ; Long primer, or 10 pt., the common book face; PRINTING 125 Pica, or 12 pt., the largest common face for book type, and used as a standard measure of width of columns and pages, there being six picas to the inch, so that a newspaper column two inches wide would be said to be 12 picas wide, and a book page three and a half inches wide would be said to be twenty- one picas wide. The common advertising display or black-faced types are 18-point, 24-point, 36-point, 48-point, and 72-point, which are respectively three-twelfths- of an inch, one-third of an inch, half an inch, two-thirds of an inch, and an inch high. Names are not in common use for these larger sizes, though persisting in connection with the smaller sizes. Body type includes the smaller sizes used in the body of books or articles, and is usually light-faced. There are two different varieties, old style (a technical term in no sense mean- ing old-fashioned), which has the terminations of the risers (or vertical portions of letters above the main body) sloping, and modern face, which has the terminations of the risers hori- zontal and square. The latter is considered plainer and a little easier to read, the former more artistic in book work. This type is old style, and the 8-point in some of the appendixes is modern. Display type, bold face, or black face is used for titles and headings, or for emphasis, and prints a bright black. Electrotypes are plates made from type, that may be printed just the same as the original type. They are used when the same type or engravings may be printed several times, as they are more convenient to keep for permanent use or possible use. The type is impressed on wax and then dusted with black lead. This mould is placed in a bath where an electric current de- posits a thin shell of copper all over the face. This shell is then backed up with hot metal to make the plate about a pica thick. This plate is mounted on wood, mounted on metal, or is beveled to clamp on patent blocks or patent base. Patent- block plates are used when there are many of them, as for a 126 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE book which is to be printed more than once, each print being called an edition. Electrotypes are measured and charged for by the square inch, or according to a standard scale used by all electrotypers. Stereotypes are plates made from a mould of paper pulp by running melted metal into a metal box contain- ing the mould. It is a cheap plate used chiefly in newspaper work. Cuts are engravings of any kind, of which there are two varieties in commercial use, zinc . etchings from pen-and-ink drawings or any solid masses of black and white color, as for example, reproduction of printing or typewriting, and half- tones, giving the effect of a photograph with intermediate tones (produced by photographing on a copper plate tlirough a screen like mosquito netting). The fineness or coars,eness of the "screen" determines the kind of paper on which a clear im- pression can be printed. For newspaper work a screen with 80 to 100 lines to the inch (called an 80- or 100-line screen) makes a coarse picture; for smooth or calendered book paper cuts made with 120- or 130-line screens may be used, and on enameled papers cuts up to 200-line screens may be used. Papers. Letterheads are printed on special calendared papers called writing papers, which will take ink without blurring. They come usually in sheets 17x22 inches, called folio size, which, cut into quarters, make standard letterheads 8^x11 inches. Flat stock is a special class of writing paper of common or cheaper quality, while bond is another special quality of paper widely used for a better class of letterheads. Bond paper is more or less transparent, and is adapted to printing or writing only on one side. Book papers are used for all kinds of circulars and small type printing, and are in general of four qualities or charac- ters, — print, the cheapest wood pulp paper, used for news- papers; machine finish, made partly of rags, well adapted to printing ordinary type and zinc-etching cuts, but not adapted to half-tones ; supercalendared, or S. & S C, a medium smooth PRINTING 127 sheet on which half-tones may be used, and enamel, or coated stock, the surface of which is filled with a preparation of clay, on which the finest half-tones may be printed with beautiful results. The commonest sizes of book papers are 24x36 or 25x38 inches (a standard size), 28x42 inches, 32x44 inches, and the double of the first size or 38x50 inches. Each has three to six different thicknesses, indicated by the weight or pounds to the ream. We count 500 sheets to a ream. Bristol board is a thick paper used for cards, etc., and sold by the 100 sheets, most commonly 22j^x28j/ inches. Other varieties of thick colored papers are called cover papers and are used for covers on booklets, usually made same size as bristol or 20x25 inches. Binding. When books are supplied with elaborate, stiflf covers the work is called hard binding, the stiff cover is called a case or a cloth case, and the work is done at a special bindery. Most printers do pamphlet work, or binding of small booklets in paper covers. The larger and finer books are sewed (i. e., with thread), while the small booklets and less expensive books are wire-stitched (that is, sewed with wire). When books are finished they are trimmed or cut on the edges, a number of books at a time, to a certain size, which must be given the binder in inches. He will ask for the trimmed size. An eighth or quarter of an inch extra must be left for "trim." Layout means a rough sketch showing how the printing is to be arranged, with the sizes of each part, etc. For layout of a full-page advertisement of Marshall Field & Co., see Fig. 56, and for the advertisement see Fig. 57. The drawn lines in- dicate the margins of the different bodies of type, the dimen- sions being indicated in inches. Solid pencil lines indicate where the pictures or cuts will go. A wavy line under the headings in the copy will indicate black letter or display type. The size of the type desired should be marked at the side of each display line or body of type. A dummy is a little book made of blank paper showing the 128 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE /6 /4yVW Fig. 56. PRINTING 129 JHE_ CHICAGO RECORD- H ERALP Women's Coats and Capes Showing the Sea- Tailored Two and Three Piece Suits : The son's Most Preferred Styles and Colors. Season's Most Distinctive New Designs. Untrimmed Hats in Many of the Season's Latest Silk Petticoau. $5.95. 1 and Best Shapes at Great Savings. ■■iiihiT *?■ ahiSii T^-^ ' ' Al».c«T€»«« M tttif —d kmM» o( pnco kin httm .«fT irldii ■• aMdlr «•■ MV7. ferowa. flmt. ■mflc aliM. tan* m4 aM^ ImporUd White Seer»ucker.Yd..l5c >»i-«--. M'i'UT ■' ISc > ruA ..A.«.v,w^s.».>,^,£^ lExdusiveNoveltiesinWomen'sFine A Very Successful Kid Glove Sale. Hosiery Box Sale Including Ojm" En- Knitted Coats and Sweaters, tire Staple Lines in Black. '^°<* ""' *<'<' °°'*>>'7 ■» ■>» ^<">t "I »" x»«i • k>« T*. uniiiliili V»'• •»«" •n»»«J u. ihe d«ujii.nj ud St/C« rWE DA/Lr SjtLES PROVE THIS SEMJ-ANMUAL £ VEMT TO BE Sanknitary Bath and Face Towels Women' Imported Hand-Embroidered Covers at Half Regular Prices. 7-—.- "7 —^ ^ ^" 1 M*l..3Sc7Sc:C..tolSK«..nK&T.bl.SqMra.U sCombmation Undermusiins '^°^.g? r'"^ ^'^'^ "^ °'^"'^. _• ,^ at Attractive Prices. ''5rL""Si2r;s,*t£rS3£H'^ii?S!.^ •rairca Tb«T an lud* •< b« xlKtad ealta ram hifklr * aOrad anry w«m«i m irni « pmrham at iba pncn. "ii ', 1^. ZZ 7. TT" ^^ , _ :IS^totL'*'^rrStrSiS^^^:^ *^r n t ^ *~ " ' " " ""J ■ -— ■'■-?'^ ?'«^>j>^l ^*°^^'^ Ne^Ugee Shlrtt. $L15. Accessories for the Bath Room. Halloween Favorsiii the Toy Section Scissors,. Pocket Knives and Mani- ^i^£Zr^:^Ji:'jr\;^iJr£ t^TIS; ^^ ^^^^ Implemeata. Fig. 57. Full Newspaper Page Reduced. 130 BUSINESS PRACTICE LT TO DATE size, and if possible the kind of paper for the main part or body and the kind of paper for the cover. Outlines may be drawn with a pencil to show the outside edges of the type and the margins or blank paper around the type. The bottom and outside margins should always be greater than the inside and top margins. On each page of the dummy may be written a brief description of what is to go on that page. Principles of typesetting or composition. Only two differ- ent faces or kinds of type should ordinarily be used in a book- let or advertisement, one kind of black letter in different sizes for the display lines, and one light-faced body type in different sizes if necessary for the reading matter. An advertisement with many different kinds of black type is an atrocity — it is "bad composition." Many ornaments and a confused appear- ance are also bad. The display lines should be short and in- stantly read. If possible, avoid ''condensed" type — type that is tall and thin, made purposely to crowd more into a display line. "Fat" or round type is more easily read and always to be preferred. There should be plenty of blank space above and below display lines, and in the surrounding margins, yet not a wasteful amount — just enough to make everything clear and sensible-looking. Measuring advertisements. It often falls to the lot of a secretary to measure up advertising to see that it is as charged for. The entire space filled is measured as if it were set solid in agate lines, including all picture space and borders. There are fourteen agate lines to the inch, four inches to a quarter maga- zine page. A newspaper advertisement across two columns is called "double-column" and a double-width line is measured as two lines. When advertisements are set by printers they are measured by the thousand ems. Take the total number of lines from top to bottom, and also find the number of line spaces or ems from side to side. Multiply these together, tak- ing the next highest thousands as the amount of the composi- tion, written as so many "M." Pictures are counted as type unless they fill full pages. PRINTING 131 Measuring printing. The typesetting is measured by the thousand ems of the size of type actually used (not as agate except in the case of advertisements in many different sizes of type), by use of a type rule marked oft for each different size of type up to 12-pt. Display heads are counted as if set solid with the body type. Presswork refers to the impressions on the printing press, and is counted as so many thousand impressions of each form. A form is a number of pages locked up together in one chase or iron frame. Forms usually have eight, sixteen, or thirty-two pages, and each group of pages of that number (whatever number can be run on the press at one time) is called a "form." A book of 196 pages would have six forms of thirty- two pages each, and one thousand complete books would be counted as "6 M impressions" (six thousand impressions). There is an extra charge on the first thousand impressions of each form to cover "lock-up" (locking the pages up in the chase with the right margins) and the "make-ready," that is getting the type to print clear and sharp all over by means of paper "overlays" and "underlays" on the cylinder of the press. Gordon presses are very small presses for cards, letterheads, etc., and usually take any printing not over 10x12 inches. Larger sheets are printed on "cylinder presses." "Gordon" press jobs cost about half as much for the presswork as "cyl- inder" press jobs. There is also a charge for cutting or trimming the paper on the paper-cutter, and of course a charge for printing the cover and for folding and binding. In laying out the form allow one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch extra paper for the "trim." Preparing Copy for Printer and Reading Proof Copy for the printer should be written only on one side of the paper. As a rule it should be typewritten, but clear hand- writing is not objectionable. Words or phrases intended to be set in italics should be 132 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE underscored once, in small capitals twice, and in full capitals three times, while a wavy line below indicates black letter. If the paragraphs are not distinct they should be marked by the sign of the paragraph (Tj), and this sign in the middle of any solid writing will cause the printer to make a paragraph at that point without other direction. If a paragraph is not wanted where the writing has been indented for a paragraph, draw a line to connect the last word of the preceding with the first word of the next, and at the left write "No T[." If a period is not distinct, draw a circle around it — a small circle not over a quarter of an inch in diameter. See that the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization are exactly right. It costs a good deal of money to change these things on the proof. It is much cheaper to edit the manuscript in advance. On the corner of the manuscript, top of first page, indi- cate the size of type in which it is to be set, as "8-pt.," "10-pt.," etc., and whether "leaded" or "solid." If possible mark at the ends of the heading lines the style or size of type in which the headings are to be set. Also mark the width in inches or picas. Observe that words in capital letters are harder to read than when set in capitals and small letters, or "upper and lower case." If headings are marked "u. and 1. c." they will be set in upper and lower case, even if written on the typewriter in capitals. Words to go in all capitals can be circled and marked "caps." or underscored with three lines. A blank paper dummy, folded up and cut in the size, with writing to indicate the length of the pages, as well as the width, places for the pictures, etc., kind of paper to be used for body and cover, will also be a good addition. The first proof comes back in long strips, called "galley proof." When the corrections made on this proof have been inserted a better and clearer proof usually is supplied, called "page proof" (if the matter is to be made up into pages). If this is correct, each page should be marked in the lower left- PRINTING 133 hand corner **0. K." with the name of the person signing, or initials. Printers use certain abbreviations, signs, and symbols in marking proof with which the ordinary person should be familiar. The chief are the following: caps., capital letters, also indicated by three lines below. u. c, upper case, capital letters. 1. c, lower case, small letters. u. and 1. c, upper and lower case, the first letter capitals and the rest small letters. sm. caps, or s. c, small capitals, or two lines below. ital. (not beginning with capital), italic, or underscored once. rom. (not w^ritten with capital), roman, the ordinary straight letters, as opposed to italic. w. f., wrong font (a face or cut of type not like the rest). stet., Latin for "let it stand." Words to remain are under- scored with a dotted line. A line draw^n through a capital letter indicates it is to be made small. tr., transpose, or change the order. ej(dele), take out, placed in the margin when a letter or word is to be removed. C^, turn the letter the other side up, placed in the margin when a letter is upside down. A sloping line is placed to the left of any letter, word, or mark that is to go into the text, but a mere symbol or direction should not have any line beside it. The period, however, has a circle about it, while apos- trophes, quotation marks, and superior figures that are to appear at the upper edge of the line of type are written in the top of an angle (V) or V. Inferior figures or signs specially in- dicated as going below the line of type are placed in an in- verted A- ^ means insert more space. I I em quad, the space of a square of the type used. 134 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE -/ means somewhat less space between words. ""^ means close up space. X a cross means a broken letter. oJ \Vnamaker, Carson, Field & Co?) (W^^ Q / Wholesale Department ^b><^L_L^5^^^^ C\ We must go aft/r the firemen . 1/ | JLqSL ?n masse . Awhat the advertising ( ' / men call ^ass ^lay. Read the " }Tt / bookletig OWTO WRITE AD - U- V ERTISING LETTERS , page V^ 23, section on mass play. Tw Please prepare a series of 5 three letter, and the printed matter to go with them? This will consit booklet with cover to go with first the letter, letter sheet testimonials, one or two good inemr c_x/ of an a-^ ^/c.kMi^/ to go with^-^ ^ I U / 2r sheet of ' ' ^^nesysto go with secoijdjetten, <., C . ^ / /and a picture showing our offer q / / at a glance to go with the final^. S — on somethnig* better than th^y lA/ + have been using. Brackets at left or right, top or bottom, mean "move the type up to the line of the main line of the bracket." Hyphens and dashes are placed between two sloping lines. GETTING A JOB AND KEEPING IT 135 The length of a dash may be indicated by writing under it the letter m (meaning a dash the length of a square of the type), or 2m or 3em (the latter being the more correct way of writ- ing the letter). A a caret indicates where something left out is to be in- serted. j_ means to push down a quad or space that shows in the type. "Out, see copy," indicates an omission too great to write in, reference being made to the original copy where the omitted words are bracketed. ^^ a curved line over two letters indicates that they are to be printed as a dipthong or single character. Straight lines at the side usually indicate that type should be straightened up. or the margin straightened. Qy or ? written by the proofreader indicates that there may be an error and the author should verify. CHAPTER XI Getting a Job and Keeping It "Applying for a Position" is the theoretical, precise, and proper subject that is studied about in school, and "Getting a Job and Keeping It" is the practical side of the matter. There is often rather a wide difference. The first step toward getting a job and keeping it is to be able to do at least some little thing better than anyone else. When there is only one applicant for a position there isn't much trouble in getting the appointment. When there are a hundred applicants, even those well qualified may never so much as get a chance to tell what they can do. Therefore think ahead, fix your mind on putting yourself in a class by yourself. For example, there are very few private secre- taries who know anything about many of the subjects taught 136 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE in this book. Any person familiar with these duties would have a dozen positions open instead of being one of a dozen to apply for a single position. Even specialization on almost any one of the subjects taught in this book would place an applicant for some positions ahead of all others. The only thing is that you must look about a year ahead and work toward some fixed point instead of toward no point in par- ticular. But some persons who are specialists seem to find trouble in discovering the right position. Usually you find they spe- cialized before considering whether there was any demand for their specialty. Being a specialist on a subject that nobody cares for doesn't do much good. It is far better to specialize on some very small thing for which the business world does care. The writer began working at the age of twelve, and has secured and lost many positions. He had a plan for getting a position which was uniformly successful. He considered what he could do best that others might want done, and then set out to discover some place where his accomplishments would be really useful. The first thing he wanted was a place to work for his board as errand boy and go to school. He took the list of the family friends, and went from house to house asking the question, Do you know anybody who would take a boy to work for his board and go to school? He hoped that each family would want some such person, but he did not say. Do you want a boy to work for his board and go to school? but Do you know anyone who does want such a boy? In this way he got a suggestion at almost every place he tried and was refused. Each new clue he followed up, till on about the fifth visit he found the right person and got his position. Two years later the family had moved into another state, and he was obliged to get another position. He started his inquiries among friends and relatives, and after three months of fruitless effort he heard that a certain lady near Boston had GETTING A JOB AND KEEPING IT 137 been trying to get a boy from an orphan asylum to work for his board in her boarding-house and go to school. He walked two miles to send a special delivery letter lest he make his application too late, had a reply stating the position was open, and a few days later took a train to a strange city, to- meet a woman he had never seen before. On another occasion he heard that a prominent man wanted a secretary, and he took the next train from Boston to Philadelphia and got the posi- tion before any others had heard it was open. Quick action when the time comes is very important. At a later time in life he was seeking orders for a certain kind of work in which he was proficient, namely, writing little books on practical subjects. His plan was to go to various publishers and business houses and suggest what he consid- ered an interesting plan for a little book. The manager would say. No, I wouldn't care to bring out a book just like that, but I have been looking for a good man to write a book along such and such lines — some ideas of his own. Do you think you could do a book like that? The reply was, I shall be glad to try, and if you really want that kind of book, I will write it subject to your approval. Going ahead and writing a book, however good, that was not especially wanted by some pub- lisher was not likely to be successful. But when it was known that a certain publisher wanted that particular kind of book, there was little or no danger that it would not be ac- cepted and paid for. The opening was created by suggesting some plan which was sufficiently interesting to attract atten- tion, but which was immediately dropped in favor of some other plan suggested by the publisher of something he really wanted. The quick change from the ideas of the applicant to those of the employer brought uniform success. The first pro- posal gave the information as to what was wanted, information that could be obtained in no other way. Long letters of application are generally useless, and at the same time very brief letters are probably not the best. A 138 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE scrawly or hasty letter is never advisable. In business, neat- ness, accuracy, business-like tidiness alv^ays count. Ortiit all introductory words. Say, You have advertised for a stenographer. I am a good one, and these are the things I can do especially well : I can spell well, I can punctuate with common sense, I am not very quick, but I am accurate and careful. You can trust me to keep my mouth closed, and to look after the work, however I may feel. Of course, to say those things when they are not true would be useless. Say the special things that you have made true. Speak of the things in which you are better than the average — do not mention the things that can be said of anybody. The latter may simply be assumed. The important thing is WHAT you say, far more than the way you say it, except to be neat, clear, simple, and straight- forward. There is very little use in cleverness or art — the tricks of salesmanship do not go very far in applying for a position. Success usually depends on looking for the right thing in the right place, and then asking for it in a simple and straightforward way and giving your reasons briefly. That is true salesmanship without the useless tricks. First state what you can do that others cannot usually do so well. Then tell what experience you have had or just why you believe you can do what you claim. Finally refer to some other people who may be able to verify what you say — persons within easy reach, who really know something about you that would count for something. Now let us consider how to keep a position after you get it. Keeping a job is more than ability to do the work assigned. It is often a matter of personal attitude, habits, or manners. A young lady who was an extra good stenographer came to her teacher and said she was unable to find a position. She GETTING A JOB AND KEEPING IT 139 had her hair combed in large circles plastered over the sides of her face, so as to cover her ears and half her cheeks. Said the teacher, **Go home and comb your hair up in a sensible way, just plain over the top of your head, and I will get a place for you." She did this, came down the next morning, and before night he had placed her at eighteen dollars a week. A couple of weeks later the business man called up for an- other stenographer, saying "That girl could do the work all right, but I can't have a freak like her around the office. The way she dresses her hair would make customers think I was running a dime museum." The next morning the girl came into the office to get another job, and was wearing her hair down over her cheeks as she had before. "Didn't I tell you to put your hair up ! And as soon as you get a job you put it down again and lose the job !" exclaimed the teacher. "I don't get another job for you unless you promise on the Bible that you won't dress your hair in that ridiculous fashion again as long as you live." A young man of unusual ability as a correspondent was discharged from place after place because he had a habit of picking on the girls in the office, teasing them, annoying them, in a half-playful but thoughtless way. A girl of Jewish birth was discharged because she told the affairs of the office to out- side friends. She took such an intense interest in the business that she couldn't help talking about it and betraying the secrets of the concern. Of course she was unusually capable. On the other hand, a stupid young man kept a position for years simply because he was faithful and could always be trusted to be on hand and do after a fashion what he was told to do. His salary was gradually advanced — very slowly but steadily — until at the end of fifteen years he was getting twice as much as most of the brighter young men who started in the business at the same time he did. A girl stenographer who was very slow kept her place because she was always as quiet as a mouse, going around almost on tiptoe, never drumming 140 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE or making a sound, fading away when callers came in, but im- mediately ready when wanted again. Another slow stenog- rapher was kept for years because she was so accurate and clean in her typewriting, making letters that always looked handsome. Still another stenographer who was rather care- less in her work kept her position because she was a great harmonizer in the office, quieting trouble, smiling pleasantly whatever went wrong, and sympathizing with all who were in trouble. It all comes back to having a good personal specialty, and not having an objectionable personal specialty. The person with a good specialty finds his or her niche in the world and keeps it. The following examples may give a general idea of how letters might be shaped under certain different circumstances, namely — In reply to an advertisement, When applying in person and asked by manager to sit down and write a letter of application on the spot. When making a general application for any position that might be vacant, Here is an advertisement, and the important thing is to make the answer actually give the manager the information he wishes : STENOGRAPHER — Bright high school graduate, for position in large office; must have at least six months' experience; write fully, giving age, experience, and educa- tion; salary to start |10. Address S L 238, World. S L 238, World, New York City : I graduated from the Washington Irving High School last February. For the past six months I have been engaged with the Singer Sewing Machine Co. on general office work, with a few letters each week when the stenographic department was crowded. Mr. John Myers, head of the correspondence depart- ment, can tell you of my work. Call him up, Canal 256. GETTING A JOB AND KEEPING IT 141 My age is 18 years, and I am an American by birth, from a refined family. In school I took the general commercial course, have had over two years of shorthand and typewriting, and as much bookkeeping, together with the regular high school course. For nearly a year I had regular office practice training under an exceptionally good teacher. My school rank was never below 85% on the average. You will find me a sure speller, good at punctuation, with a shorthand speed of 100 words a minute (average on repeated fifteen-minute tests). An interview will be appreciated. Sarah L. Jennings. That letter is likely to get attention because it is straight to the point, there is no useless and inappropriate introduction or close, and it gives, first of all, precisely the information asked for, adding a few items likely to have weight, but not too many. If a manager asks you to sit down and write a letter of application he wishes to see how you would handle a letter under simple and confusing circumstances — he wants a sample of your work. In this case you address the letter personally to him, and write down the answers to the questions he has asked you, telling him precisely what you have already told him orally. If you wander oflF into other things, you are likely to be on dangerous ground. Tell him what you know he wishes to know. Nov. 16, 1919. Mr. R. I. Babcock, 1920 Ordway Building, Cleveland, Ohio. Dear Sir: This letter is an application for the position of filing clerk which you have vacant. I am a graduate of the Spencerian Commercial School, 142 BUSINESS PRACTICE UP TO DATE where I took the Combined Course and spent over a year. Mr. Merville can tell you of my work. At this school we had a thorough training on filing and handling office systems, on which I spent three months. We were tested for speed and accuracy, and were not allowed to leave the work till we had attained the average speed and the average accuracy of ordinary working filing clerks. My home is with my parents, my age is 17 years, and I am willing to work for $9 a week to start, if I can expect advance- ment as I show my ability. Very truly yours, Ora J. Swett, 6213 Longfellow Ave. Avoid putting in foolish remarks. State the important facts simply and clearly, and not at too great length. Be very particular about the date, address, salutation, and close, and always write your home address for easy reference later. In this letter it would be foolish to say you were an American by birth and of refined family, because it would sound egotistic and the manager could see for himself. When you have never seen him, such an item is of considerable importance. Let us now consider a young man applying for a general position when a vacancy may appear. More attention will be given to the future outlook of the applicant, what he wants, and what he is determined to do, than to what he actually can do: Messrs. Wanamaker, Carson, Field & Co., 1419 Broadway, New York City. Gentlemen : This letter is my application for any promising position you may have to offer, either now or later. I graduated from the High School in Hoboken last June, where I had taken the general course, with special attention to English, history, and economics. I have had no special business training whatever, but I GETTING A JOB AND KEEPING IT 143 have been a faithful and fairly successful general student. I have learned to talk and to express myself on paper, and as manager of our school paper, the Crimson Flag, I have proved I am a hustler, for I made the paper pay all expenses and $105 over last year. I am willing to start in any position that is likely to give me a chance to work up in time to a place as department manager in your retail store. That is my ambition, and while it may take me some time to realize it, I wish to get a start, however humble, on the road toward it. Perhaps you have a position as stock boy or even as office boy in the office of some buyer. The present salary is less a consideration than my chances to learn and work up. Aly age is 16, and I am living with my parents. I should like to call on your employment manager at any time he is willing to see me and talk with me. Respectfully yours, Harrison I. Ames. The writer of the preceding letter had no special induce- ments to offer, but it was a good thing to mention his success in managing the school paper. That fact might catch the eye of the employment manager and get him a chance. He speaks more of his hopes than of his accomplishments. Salesmanship consists in selecting and playing up what you have that some business manager might want, whether technical ability or an ambitious heart. In the case of applications for positions after some experi- ence it becomes important to select carefully the names of per- sons as references. Often it is possible to refer to someone other than an employer. For example, a bookkeeper gave the name of a public auditor who had been over her books, and he proved a good reference. One really good reference is probably better than many. See Chapter IV on Applying for a Position in How to Do Business by Letter. 144 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY APPENDIX A Brief Course in Commercial Geography Locate your own town on the commercial map and draw a small red circle around it (red ink). If the railroad connections are not shown, complete them with black ink, in proper style to indicate express companies. Find out what the leading industry in your locality is, and write it on the map in red. Then find out the other places where the same Industry flourishes and write the name on the map at those places. Determine the next lower industries, and mark them in green or blue ink, following them out also in other parts of the country and writing them on the map. Then take up each state in turn, indicating on the map the leading specialty of each. Finally review all the work as follows : Locate the chief centers for each of the following: agriculture, mining, and manufactures. Make a list of the principal agricultural products, and mark on the map the leading centers for each. Make a list of the principal mineral products, and mark on the map the leading centers for each. Make a list of the ten leading manufactured products, and mark on the map the chief centers for each. Use red lead pencil for agriculture, black lead pencil for minerals, and blue lead pencil for manufactures. With a green lead pencil circle each important port and trace each principal waterway. A glance at the commercial map will show the connection between these ports and the railroad concentration. The spelling of each town and city in the following list is important. Cities Over 10,000 Inhabitants, 1910 Census, Capitals Starred. Alabama (Ala.) 2,138.093 Sixteenth agricultural state (128 mil.), 3rd in cotton, 2nd in coke, 3rd in iron ore; manufactures (146 mil.), cotton (22 mil), lumber (26 mil.), iron (21 mil.), turpentine and rosin, and cottonseed oil. Anniston 12.794 Gadsden 10,557 Bessemer 10,864 Mobile 51.521 Birmingham 132,685 Second cotton shipping port. Large manufactures of iron and *Montgomery 38,136 steel. Selma 13.649 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 145 Alaska Territory (no abbrev.) 64,356 Leads U. S. in canning and preserving fish (19 mil.), 4th in gold mining. Arizona (Ariz.) 204,354 First copper mining state, and engaged in smelting copper (41 mil.). ♦Phoenix 11,134 Tucson 13,193 Arkansas (Ark.) 1,574,449 Third state in raising rice; manufactures lumber (40 mil.). Argenta 11,138 Little Rock 45,941 Fort Smith 23,975 Pine Bluff 15,102 Hot Springs 14,434 Health resort, 7 2 mineral springs. California (Cal.) 2,377,549 Fifth mining state, 1st in petroleum, asphalt, borax, gems, platinum, and quicksilver, 2nd in gold, 3rd in Portland cement; 23rd agricultural state, 1st in beet sugar and barley, 3rd in hay, 6th in beef cattle; manu- factures wine (9 mil.) and lumber (45 mil.), and leads in raising and can- ning fruit (32 mil.). Alameda 23,383 Riverside 15,212 Bakersfield 12,727 *Sacramento 44.696 Berkeley 40.434 San Bernardino 12,779 Eureka 11,845 San Diego 39.578 Fresno 24,892 San Francisco 416,912 Lone; Beach 17 809 Gateway to the Orient, and chief T _ ^. ,1^^ -Jin 100 commercial city of Pacific coast. Los Angeles 319,198 o t oqqak Famous winter resort. ^^" J*^!.^ , • , , ^r^ Oakland 150.174 Santa Barbara 11,659 Pasadena 30.291 Santa Cruz 11 146 Pomona 10,207 ?r^°,?K*°", H'?>5^ Redlands 10,449 Vallejo 11,340 Colorado (Colo.) 799,024 Seventh mineral state, 1st in gold. 2nd in zinc, 4th in silver and In lead; 3rd beet sugar state. Colorado Springs 29,078 Pueblo 44,395 ♦Denver 213.381 Trinidad 10,204 Mining center of Rocky Moun- tains. Connecticut (Conn.) 1,114,756 Twelfth manufacturing state (490 mil.), leading in brassware (67 mil.): also foundry products (66 mil.), cotton (24 mil.), and silk (21 mil.), as well as ammunition, clocks, and plated ware; 5th tobacco raising state. Ansonia 15.152 *Hartford 98.915 Bridgeport 102.054 National insurance. Leads in manufacturing corsets Manchester 13.641 <6 mil.). Meriden 32,066 Bristol 13,502 Leads in manufacturing plated Danbury 23 502 tableware. Manufactures hats (2nd city). Middletovvn 20,749 Greenwich 16,463 Naugatuck 12,722 146 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY New Britain 43,916 Leads in manufacturing hardware. New Haven 133,605 New London 19,659 Norwalk 24,211 Norwich 28 219 Orange 11,272 Stamford 28,836 Torrinp-ton 16,840 Wallingford 11,155 Waterbury 73,141 Leads in manufacturing and copper (31 mil.), Windham 12,604 Willimantic 11,230 brass Delaware (Del.) 202,322 Manufactures leather (12 mil.) and raises fruit. ♦Dover 3,720 Wilmington 87,411 District of Columbia (D. C.) 331,069 Washington 331,069 Seat of the United States Govern- ment, and most beautiful city in the Florida (Fla.) 752,619 First state in producing phosphate rock, 4th in brick; manufactures turpentine and rosin (12 mil.), tobacco (22 mil.), lumber (20 mil.), and ships (21 mil.). Famous for oranges and winter vegetables. country, with finest public buildings. Pensacola 22.982 ♦Tallahasee 5,018 Tampa 37,782 Jacksonville 57.699 Key West 19,945 Manufactures tobacco. Georgia (Ga.) 2,609,121. Ninth agricultural state, 2nd in cotton, 2nd in asbestos; manufac- tures cotton (48 mil.), cottonseed oil (23 mil.), and lumber (24 mil.). Center for fertilizers, and turpentine and rosin. Athens 14,913 ♦Atlanta 154.839 Augusta 41,040 Great cotton market and manufac- turing center. Brunswick 10,182 Columbus 20,554 Macon 40.665 * Rome 12.099 Savannah 65,064 Waycross 14,485 Idaho (no abbrev.) 325,594 Second in lead, 4lh in asbestos, and 5th in silver mining; 4th wool state. ♦Boise 17,358 Illinois (111.) 5,638,591 Second agricultural state (289 mil. — at time.s leads Texas), 1st in corn, 2nd in oats, 2nd in hogs and horses, 4th in cows; 3rd in minerals, 2nd in coal, 3rd in petroleum and iron mining; 3rd manufacturing state (1,919 mil.), leading in meat packing (390 mil.), and including agricultural imple- ments (57 mil.), machinery and foundry products (139 mil.), men's cloth- ing (89 mil.), cars and car repairs (62 mil.), iron (125 mil.), distilled ~ "" - - - - j^ji ) liquors (55 mil.), and lumber (4i Alton 17.528 Aurora 29,807 Belleville 21,122 Bloomington 25,768 Cairo 14,548 Canton 10,453 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 147 Galesburi^ 22,089 Jacksonville 15,326 JoHet 34,670 Kankakee 13.986 La Salle 11,537 Lincoln 10,892 Mattoon 11,456 Moline 24,199 Oak Park 19 444 Peoria 66,950 Leads U. S. in manufacturing dis- tilled liquors (45 mil.). Quincy 36587 Rock Island 24,335 Rockford 45.401 ♦Sprinofield 51,678 Streator 14,253 VVaukegan 16,069 Champaign 12,421 Chicago 2,185,283 Leads in sJaugiitering, wholesal- ing, and grain trading, and in mail- order business; railroad center of tlie country (35 railroads enter here); 2nd manufacturing city, clothing (men's 85 mil., women's 16 mil.), iron (46 mil.), machinery (90 mil.), furniture (21 mil.), lumber 33 mil.), electrical goods (21 mil.), etc. Chicago Heights 14,525 Cicero 14,557 Danville 27,871 Decatur 31,140 East St. Louis 58,547 Elgin 25,976 Manufactures watches. Evanston 24,978 Freeport 17,567 Indiana (Ind.) 2,700,876 Tenth state in mineral production, 2nd in cement, 3rd in mineral waters, 5th in coal; 11th in agriculture (154 mil.), 5th in hogs, 5th in corn, 6th in oats; manufactures meat products (47 mil.), iron (39 mil.), carriages (22 mil.), distilled liquors (31 mil.), and glass. Anderson 22,476 East Chicago 19,098 Elkhart 19,282 El wood 11.028 Evansville 69,647 Fort Wayne 63,933 Gary 16.802 Hammond 20.925 Huntington 10,272 ♦Indianapolis 233.650 Packs meat (39 mil.), and makes autos (9 mil.). Jeffersonville 10,412 Kokomo 17.010 Lafayette 20.081 Laporte 10,525 Logansport 19,050 Marion 19,359 Michigan City 19,027 Mishawaka 11,886 Muncie 24,005 New Albany 20,629 Peru 10,910 Richmond 22.324 South Bend 53,684 Studebaker carriage factories and Oliver plow works. Terre Haute 58.157 Vincennes 14,895 Iowa (no abbrev.) 2,224,771 Third agricultural state (284 mil.), 1st in oats, 2nd in corn, 1st in horses. 2nd in beef cattle, 3rd in cows, 1st in hogs; manufactures dairy products (26 mil.), meat products (59 mil.); 8th in clay and brick. Boone 10,347 Burlington 24.324 Cedar Rapids 32 811 Clinton 25.577 Council Bluffs 29,292 Davenport 43.028 *Des Moines 86.368 Dubuque 38.494 Fort Dodge 15,543 Iowa City 10.091 Keokuk 14.008 Marshalltown 13.374 Mason City 11,230 Muscatine 16.178 Ottumwa 22 012 Sioux City 47,828 Waterloo 26.693 148 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY Kansas (Kan.) 1,690,949. Sixth agricultural state (182 mil.), 2nd in wheat, 2nd in corn, 4th in beef cattle; 2nd in mining pumice, 3rd in cement, 4th in natural gas and in salt, 6th in zinc; 2nd state in meat packing (165 mil.), flour (68 mil.), and zinc smelting (10 mil.). Atchison 16,429 Lawrence 12,374 Coffeyville 12,687 Leavenworth 19,363 Fort Scott 10,463 Parsons 12,463 Hutchinson 16,364 Pittsburgh 14.755 Vein of salt 350 feet thick. *Topeka 43,684 Independence 10,480 Wichita 52,450 Kansas City 82,331 Largest broomcorn market in the Next to Chicago in slaughtering world. (148 mil.). Kentucky (Ky.) 2,289,905 Leading state in producing tobacco, 4th in asphalt, 7th in coal; manu- factures tobacco (19 mil.) and whiskey (44 mil.). Covington 53.270 Louisville 223,928 ♦Frankfort 10,465 Largest tobacco market in the Henderson 11,452 ^«^1^: "'/"in^tno'''"^^ ^^ "'^^• Lexington 35,099 Newport 30,309 ^ ' Owensboro 16,011 Paducah 22,760 Louisiana (La.) 1,656,388 Leads in producing rice, cane sugar, and sulphur, 6th in salt, 8th in petroleum, and 9th in natural gas; refines sugar (64 mil.), cleans rice (13 mil.), and manufactures lumber (63 mil.), and cottonseed oil (13 mil.), Alexandria 11,213 New Orleans 339,075 ♦Baton Rouge 14,897 Largest cotton market and prin- T olr^ riinrlpc ^ ^ ddQ cipal port of export, with foreign Lake i^naries ii.^^y ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ York. Monroe 10,209 Shreveport 28,015 Maine (no abbrev.) 742,371 Third state in producing slate, 4th for lime, mineral waters, and pota- toes; manufactures lumber (22 mil.), marble and slate (34 mil.), cotton (22 mil.), woolens (18 mil.), and shoes (16 mil.). Auburn 15.064 Lewiston 26,247 ♦Augusta 13,211 Portland 58,571 Bangor 24,803 Waterville 11,458 Biddeford 17,079 Maryland (Md.) 1,295,346 A leading oyster center; 9th state for pig iron; manufactures men's clothing (37 mil.), sheet metal (17 mil.), tobacco (10 mil.), fertilizers (7 mil.), and canned goods (14 mil.). Second in oysters. Annapolis 8.609 Frederick 10,411 Baltimore 558,485 Hagerstown 16,507 Massachusetts (Mass.) 3,366,416 Fourth manufacturing state (1,490 mil.), shoes (236 mil.), cotton (186 mil.), woolens (142 mil.), paper (40 mil.), leather (40 mil.), confectionery (15 mil.), knit goods (15 mil.), and jewelry (15 mil.). Adams 13,026 Attleborough 16,215 Arlington 11,187 Beverly 18,650 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 149 ♦Boston 670,585 Hub of American culture (Har- vard University at Cambridge, ad- joining Boston), and trade center of New England; 8th manufacturing city (shoes 26 mil.). Brockton 56,878 Among first in manufacturing shoes (39 mil.). Brookline 27,792 Cambridge 104,839 Chelsa 32,452 Chicopee 25,401 Clinton 13.075 Everett 33,484 Fall River 119,295 Leads in manufacturing cotton (49 mil.). Fitchburg 37,826 Framingham 12,948 Gardner 14,699 Gloucester 24,398 Greenfield 10,427 Haverhill 44.115 Holyoke 57,730 Manufactures paper (12 mil.). Hyde Park 15.507 Lawrence 85,892 Leads in manufacturing worsted goods (59 mil.). Leominster 17,580 Lowell 106.294 Among the first in manufacturing cotton (25 mil.). Lynn 89,336 Leads in manufacturing shoes (47 mil.). Michigan (Mich.) 2,810,173 First state in brick and in salt, 2nd in iron ore, 3rd in copper, 4th in gypsum. 2nd in beet sugar, 3rd in potatoes and in rye: 7th manufacturing state (685 mil.), autos (97 mil.), lumber (62 mil.), flour (35 mil.), furni- ture (29 mil.), salt (17 mil.), tobacco (16 mil.), beet sugar (10 mil.), and chemicals (13 mil.). Calumet & Hecla copper mine, richest in the world. Adrian 10.763 Maiden 44,404 Marlborough 14,579 Medford 23,150 Melrose 15,715 Methuen 11,448 Milford 13,055 New Bedford 96,652 Second in manufacturing cotton (43 mil.). Newburyport 14,949 Newton 39,806 North Adams 22.019 Northampton 19,431 Peabody 15,721 Pittsfield 32,121 Plymouth 12,141 .Quincy 32,642 Revere 18,219 Salem 43.697 Somerville 77,236 Southbridge 12,592 Springfield 88.926 U. S. Arsenal. Taunton 34,259 Wakefield 11404 Waltham 27,834 •Among the first centers of watch- making. Watertovvn 12,875 Webster 11,509 Westfield 16,044 Weymouth 12,895 Winthrop 10.132 Woburn 15,308 Worcester 145,986 Alpena 12.706 Ann Arbor 14.817 Battle Creek 25 267 Bay City 45.166 Detroit 465,766 Sixth manufacturing city, leads in autos (60 mil.), and drugs (12 mil.); tobacco (13 mil.). Escanaba 13,194 Flint 38,550 Grand Rapids 112,571 Holland 10,490 Ironwood 12,821 Ishpeming 12,448 Iron mining center. Jackson 31,433 Kalamazoo 39,437 *Lansing 31.229 Manistee 12.381 Marquette 11,503 Menominee 10,507 Muskegon 24,062 Pontiac 14,532 Port Huron 18,863 Saginaw 50,510 Sault Ste. Marie 12,615 Great interlake ship canaL Traverse City 12,115 150 • COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY Minnesota (Minn.) 2,075,708 First state for iron ore, 2nd for brick; 8th agricultural state (161 mil.), 2nd in barley, 3rd in wheat and oats, 4th in rye; leads in flour milling (139 mil.); manufactures lumber (42 mil,), brick (25 mil,), meat products (26 mil.), and linseed oil (11 mil,). Duluth 78,466 Lake shipping port for grain, iron, and lumber. Mankato 10,365 Minneapolis 301,4r8 Flour milling center of the world (79 mil.); manufactures lumber (12 mil.). St. Cloud 10 600 *St Paul 214*744 Manufactures fur goods (3 mil.). Stillwater 10,198 Virginia 10,473 Winona 18,583 Mississippi (Miss.) 1,797,114. I'-ourth cotton growing state; manufactures lumber (43 mil.), and cot- tonseed oil (16 mil.). Among first in oyster packing. Hattiesburg 11,733 *Jackson 21,262 Meridian 23,285 Natchez 11,791 Vicksburg 20,814 Missouri (Mo.) 3,293,335 Fourth agricultural state (197 mil.), 3rd in corn, 8rd in mules, 5th in beef cattle; 8th mineral state, 1st in lead and zinc; 10th manufacturing state (574 mil.), slaughtering (80 mil.), shoes (49 mil.), milling (46 mil.), tobacco (31 mil.), beer (27 mil.), men's clothing (15 mil.), and confectionery (7 mil.); roasting coffee (12 mil.). Hannibal 18.341 *Jefferson City 11,850 Joplin 32 073 Kansas City 248,381 (See Kansas City, Kans. packing.) Moberly 10.923 St. Joseph 77,403 St. Louis 687,029 Fourth manufacturing city, shoes (34 mil.), beer (23 mil.), meat prod- ucts (27 mil.), carriages (6 mil.), and smoking and chewing tobacco for meat (among first in U. S.). Sedalia 17.822 SDringfield 35.201 Webb City 11,817 Montana (Mont.) 376,053 Leading wool state, 9th mineral state, gold, silver, lead, and copper Anaconda 10.134 *Helena 12.515 Billings 10,031 Butte 39,165 Great Falls 13,948 One of the richest cities of its size in the world, because of mines. Missoula 12,869 Nebraska (Nebr.) 1,192,214 Thirteenth agricultural state (142 mil.), 3rd for beef cattle and hogs, 4th m wheat. 8th in corn, 1st state for producing pumice; slaughtering (92 mil.), and milling (18 mil.). Grand Island 10,326 ♦Lincoln 43,973 Omaha 124.096 South Omaha 26,259 Among the first in meat packing. COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 151 Nevada (Nev.) 81,875. Leading silver state, in lead, ♦Carson City 2,466 U. S. Mint. 3rd in gold and quicksilver, 5th in copper, 7th Reno 10,867 New Hampshire (N. H.) 430,572 Leads in quarrying granite, 3rd state for mica; manufactures shoes (39 mil.), cotton (34 milj, woolens (17 mil."), lumber (15 mil.), and paper (14 mil.). It is a summer resort called the Switzerland of America. Berlin 11,780 ♦Concord 21,497 Dover 13,247 Keene 10.068 Laconia 10,183 Manchester 70,063 Manufactures cotton (Amoskeag mills), and shoes (18 mil.). Nashua 26,005 Portsmouth 11,269 U. S. Navy Yard. New Jersey (N. J.) 2,537,167. Sixth manufacturing state (1,145 mil.), leading in smelting copper (126 mil.), silk (65 mil.), machinery (65 mil.), leath-er (28 mil.), woolens (34 mil.), tobacco (24 mil.), chemicals (23 mil.), liquors (20 mil.), electrical goods (28 mil.), dyed goods (16 mil.), lumber (13 mil.), jewelry (13 mil.), cotton (14 mil.), wire (29 mil.), soap (14 mil.), paint (13 mil.), pottery (13 mil.), rubber (20 mil.), cordage (11 mil.), oilcloth and linoleum (10 mil.), hats (9 mil.), glass (7 mil.), refining oil; among- the first in fertil- izers. Asbury Park 10.150 Atlantic City 46,150 Bayonne 55.545 Bloomfield 15.070 Bridgton 14.209 Camden 94,538 East Orange 34,371 Elizabeth 73,409 Garfield 10,213 Hackensack 14,050 Harrison 14 498 Hoboken 70.324 Irvington 11,877 Jersey City 267.779 Kearny 18.659 Long Branch 13,298 Afillville 12,451 Montclair 21,550 Morristown 12,507 Xew Brunswick 23,388 Newark 347,469 Eleventh manufacturing city, leather (19 mil.), jewelry (13 mil.), paints (7 mil.), chemicals (5 mil.), and hats (4 mil.). Orange 29,630 Passaic 54.773 Manufactures worsted (17 mil.). Paterson 125,600 Largest silk factories in the coun- try (40 mil.). Perth Amboy 32,121 Largest copper smelting works in the world. Phillipsburg 13.903 Plainfield 20,550 ♦Trenton 96,815 Among the first in clay products (7 mil.). Union 21,023 West Hoboken 35.403 West New York 13.560 West Orange 10,980 New Mexico (N. Mex.) 327,301 Fifth wool state, 5th in gems, 6th in mica, 8th in silver and in zinc, 9th in lead. Albuquerque 11,020 *Santa Fe 5,072 Finest turquoise mines in the world. Founded by Spanish in 1542. 152 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY New York (N. Y.) 9,113,614 Leading manufacturing state (3,369 mil.), machinery (154 mil.), bakery goods (86 mil.), beer (78 mil.), tobacco (77 mil.), lumber (73 mil.), knit goods (67 mil), meat products (127 mil.), paper (49 mil.), electrical goods (49 mil.), shoes (48 mil.), millinery (52 mil.), furniture (42 mil.), fur goods (41 mil.), women's clothing (35 mil.), musical instruments (34 mil.), autos (31 mil.), drugs (37 mil.), paints (29 mil.), confectionery (26 mil.), cotton (20 mil.), soap (24 mil.), woolen goods (24 mil.), typewriters (10 mil.), wire (10 mil.), rubber goods (9 mil.), food preparations (17 mil.), agricultural implements (15 mil.), carriages (13 mil.), iron (66 mil.), leather (48 mil.), and men's clothing (266 mil.). Twelfth agricultural state, 1st for dairy cows, potatoes, and hay, 2nd for buckwheat. Sixth mineral state, 1st for salt, 2nd for stone, mineral waters, sand and gravel, 3rd for brick. Leading state for publishing (217 mil.), banking, and export. ♦Albany 100,253 Amsterdam 31.267 Auburn 34,668 Batavia 11,613 Binghamton 48,443 Buffalo 423,715 Lake port, head of Erie canal; ninth manufacturing city, flour (20 mil.), autos (10 mil.), meat products (25 mil.), machinery (21 mil.), malt and malt liquors (14 mil.), soap (9 mil.). Cohoes 24,709 (horning 13 730 Cortland 11,504 Dunkirk 17,221 Elmira 37,176 Fulton 10,480 Geneva 12,446 Glens Falls 15,243 Gloversville 20,642 Nearly half U. S. gloves are made here and in Johnstown adjoining. Hornell 13,617 Hudson 11,417 Ithaca 14,802 Jamestown 31,297 Johnstown 10.447 Kingston 25,908 Lackawanna 14,549 Little Falls 12,273 Lockport 17,970 Middletown 15,313 Mount Vernon 30,919 New Rochelle 28.867 New York 4,766,883 Financial and commercial center of the United States, principal for- eign port, and chief publishing cen- ter (184 mil.); largest manufactur- ing city (2,030 mil.), men's clothing (218 mil.), meat products (96 mil.), machinery (64 mil.), tobacco (62 mil.), beer 53 mil.), fur goods (40 mil.), confectionery (20 mil.), etc. Manhattan Borough 2,331,542 Bronx Borough 430,980 Brooklyn Borough 1,634,351 Richmond Borough 85,969 Queens Borough 284,041 Newburgh 27,805 Niagara Falls 30,445 One of the largest waterfalls in the world and resort for tourists; immense water power carried by electricity to Buffalo and other cities. North Tonawanda 11,955 Ogdensburg 15,933 Olean 14,743 Ossining 11,480 Oswego 23,368 Peekskill 15 245 Plattsburgh 11,138 Port Chester 12,809 Poughkeepsie 27,936 Rensselaer 10,711 Rochester 218,149 World-famous nurseries; manu- factures men's clothing (19 mil.), and shoes (13 mil.). Rome 20,4;7 Saratoga Springs 12,693 Schenectady 72,826 Syracuse 137,249 Center of salt region. Troy 76,813 Manufactures men's wear (14 mil.); said to produce 90 per cent of collars and cuffs in U. S. Utica 74,419 Watertown 26,730 Watervliet 15,074 White Plains 15,949 Yonkers 79,803 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 153 North Carolina (N. C.) 2,206,287 Second tobacco raising state; 1st in mica; manufactures cotton (73 mil.), tobacco (36 mil.), and lumber (34 mil.); leads in producing resin, turpentine, and tar. Asheville 18,762 Greensboro 15,895 Charlotte 34,014 ^ *Raleigh 19,218 Durham 18,241 Wilmington 25,748 Leads state in manufacture. Winston 17 167 North Dakota (N. Dak.) 577,056 First state for wheat and flax, 4th in barley, 7th in oats; mills flour (12 mil.). *Bismarck 5,443. Grand Forks 12,478 Fargo 14,331 Ohio (no abbrev.) 4,767,121 Second mineral state (185 mil.), 1st in clay, 2nd in pig iron, 3rd in salt, 4th in coal; 5th agricultural state, 3rd in sheep (wool) and horses, 4th in hogs, 6th in corn and in potatoes, 4th in hay, in tobacco, and in oats; 5th manufacturing state (1,438 mil.), leading in rubber (54 mil.); also ma- chinery (146 mil.), autos (39 mil.), carriages (22 mil.), clay products (21 mil.), shoes (32 mil.), men's clothing (25 mil.), women's clothing (19 mil.), lumber (35 mil.), iron and steel (281 mil.), electrical goods (19 mil.), agri- cultural implements (14 mil.), glass (14 mil.), p^per (17 mil.), meat prod- ucts (51 mil.), soap (17 mil.), stone (15 mil.), whiskey (12 mil.), sheet me ta* (19 mil.), tobacco (29 mil.); refining pretroleum (11 mil.). Akron 69.067 Findlay 14,858 Said to produce over 20 per cent Hamilton 35,279 of U. S. rubber goods. i^^„4^^„ \■^^A7 Alliance 15,083 Ironton 13, 47 Ashtabula i8,266 ^ T f ^^^r llml Bellaire 12,946 T H^f 1(? qoR ' Cambridge 11,327 h^.^n 98S«^ Canton 50,217 {.""'^'^ ?!' on 7aq Chillicothe 14.508 ^^"'^f^'^ifoo^^ Cincinnati 363,591 M^Hnn 1«7r> Twelfth manufacturing city (195 ,; -,, T,t^r» mil.), meat products (19 mil.), ma- Massillon 13,8/y chinery (IS mil.), men's clothing Middletown 13,152 (17 mil.) shoes (15 mil.), etc. Newark 25.404 Lleveland 5o0,oo3 VorwnoH 16 18=^ Fifth manufacturing city (272 p:?.'^,'! ?? -?«« mil.), iron and steel (76 mil.), autos riqua io,JOO (21 mil), meat products (17 mil.), Portsmouth 23.481 women's clothing (13 mil.); refining Sandusky 19,989 %'r 1 K 1Q1 C11 Springfield 46.921 *Columbus 181,511 QL„Kt«,.;ii^ 99701 ^-^ . ii^-T-T Steubenville 22,391 Dayton 116,^77 j-cc 11 §94 Cash registers made by National rj, , , J^q .(^^ Cash Register Company and others. ioieao 105 4y/ East Liverpool 20.387 Warren 11,081 Second city for potteries. Youngstown 79,066 Elyria 14,825 Zanesville 28,026 Oklahoma (Okla.) 1,657,155 Second state for petroleum, 5th for natural gas and for asphalt, 6th for lead; manufactures flour (19 mil.), and cottonseed oil (5 mil.). Chickasha 10,320 Muskogee 25,278 Enid 13,799 Oklahoma City 64,205 ♦Guthrie 11,654 Shawnee 12,474 McAlester 12,954 Tulsa 18,182 154 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY Oregon (Ore.) 672,765 Second state for platinum, 6th for sheep (wool); manufactures lum- ber (30 mil.). Portland 207 214 *Salem 14,094 Pennsylvania (Pa.) 7,665,111 Leading mineral state (585 mil.), producing about one-quarter of the entire U. S. output, almost the only producer of anthracite coal, and over one-third of the bituminous coal; leading also in producing cement, coke, pig iron, lime, mineral paints, sand and gravel, and building stone, and it is 2nd in clay products, natural gas, and graphite, 5th in petroleum, 9th in iron ore and mineral waters. Seventh agricultural state (176 mil.), 1st in buckwheat, 2nd in rye, in potatoes, and in hay, and 7th in tobacco. Second state in wealth and in manufacturing (2,627 mil.), leading in iron and steel (898 mil.); also leather (83 mil.), woolen goods (77 mil.), lumber (57 mil.), knit goods (50 mil.), tobacco (50 mil.), silk (62 mil.), silverware (52 mil.), flour (45 mil.), men's clothing (40 mil.), women's clothing (33 mil.), beer (48 mil.), electrical goods (31 mil.), furniture (19 mil.), clay products (13 mil.), paper (20 mil.), hats (13 mil.), confectionery (14 mil.), and Portland cement (19 mil.). Allentown 51,913 Ma.nufactures silk (7 mil.). Altoona 52,127 Beaver Falls 12,191 Bethlehem 12,837 Braddock 19,357 Bradford 14,544 Butler 20,728 Carbondale 17,040 Carlisle 10,303 Carnegie 10.009 Chambersburg 11,800 Chester 38,537 Coatesville 11,084 Columbia 11,454 Connellsville 12,845 Dubois 12,623 Dunmore 17,615 Duquesne 15,727 Easton 28,523 Erie 66,525 Leading center for making boilers and engines. Greensburg 13,012 ♦Harrisburg 64,186 Hazelton 25,452 Homestead 18,713 Johnstown 55,482 Lancaster 47,227 Lebanon 19,240 McKees Rocks 14,702 McKeesport 42,694 Largest pipe works in the world. Mahanoy City 15,936 Meadville 12.780 Monessen 11,775 Mount Carmel 17,532 Nanticoke 18.877 New Castle 36,280 Norristown 27,875 North Braddock 11,824 Oil City 15,657 Old Forge 11,324 Philadelphia 1,549,008 Third city in wealth, population, and manufactures (747 mil.), woolen goods (55 mil.), women's clothing (30 mil.), men's clothing (29 mil.), knit goods (24 mil.), leather (24 mil.), carpets (23 mil.), meat prod- ucts (22 mil.), and hats (10 mil.). Among first in publishing (46 mil.). Phoenixville 10,743 Pittsburgh 533,905 Leads in manufacturing iron and steel (125 mil.); 7th manufacturing city (243 mil.). Allegheny (part of Pittsburgh). Said to manufacture more than one-fifth of all the pickles in the United States. Pittston 16,267 Plymouth 16.996 Pottstown 15,599 Pottsville 29,236 Reading 96.071 Center of anthracite coal trade. Scranton 129,867 Largest correspondence school in the world; manufactures silk (7 mil.). Shamokin 19,588 Sharon 15,270 Shenandoah 25,774 South Bethlehem 19,973 South Sharon 10,190 Steelton 14,246 Sunbury 13,770 Uniontown 13,344 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY 155 Warren 11,080 Wilkinsburg 18,924 Washington 18.778 Willia'msport 31,860 West Chester 11.767 York 44,750 Wilkes-Barre 67,105 Rhode Island (R. I.) 542,610 Leads in manufacturing jewelry (21 mil.), and worsted goods (75 mil.); cotton (50 mil.), macliinery (21 mil.), and dyed goods. Central Falls 22,754 ^Providence 224,326 Cranston 21,107 Leads in jewelrv and silverware Cumberland 10,107 (20 mil.); also worsted goods (30 NVw„^:?l7 Uq' ^'-^^ Warwick 26 629 k:'r::LFiiL woonsocket 38,125 Manufactures cotton (14 mil.). South Carolina (S. C.) 1,515,400 Third state for phosphate rock, 5th for mica. 2nd for mules, 5th for cotton; manufactures cotton (66 mil.), and cottonseed oil (11 mil.). Charleston 58.833 Greenville 15.741 ♦Columbia 26,319 Spartanburg 17,517 South Dakota (S. Dak.) 583,888 Second state for mica, 5th for gold; 6th wheat state. Aberdeen 10.753 Sioux Falls 14,094 *Pierre 3,656 Tennessee (Tenn.) 2,184,789 Second state for phosphates, 7th for copper, 8th for iron ore and pig Iron: 8th in growing tobacco; manufactures lumber (30 mil.), and flour (29 mil.). Chattanooga 44.604 Memphis 131.105 Jackson 15.779 *Nashville 110.364 Knoxville 36,346 Texas (Tex.) 3,896,542 At present the leading agricultural state (407 mil.), 1st in mules and in beef cattle, 1st in cotton, 2nd in rice, and 4th in corn; 2nd for asphalt and for quicksilver, 7th for salt and for petroleum, 9th for silver; manu- factures meat products (43 mil.), cottonseed oil (30 mil.), lumber (32 mil.), and flour, 32 mil.). *Austin 29.860 Houston 78.800 Beaumont 20,640 Laredo 14,855 Brownsville 10.517 Marshall 11,452 Cleburne 10.364 Palestine 10,482 Dallas 92,104 Paris 11,269 Denison 13.632 San Angelo 10.321 El Paso 39,279 San Antonio 96,614 Gateway for Mexican trade. Sherman 1^412 Fort Worth 73 312 Temple 10,993 Galveston 36.981 Tyler 10.400 Third cotton port. ^^^^^ 26,425 Utah (no abbrev.) 373,351 Third state for silver, lead, asphalt, 4th for copper, 6th for gold. 7th for zinc and for gems. Ogden 25,580 *Salt Lake City 92,777 Mormon headquarters. 156 COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY Vermont (Vt.) 355,956 Leading state for asbestos, 2nd for slate, and 3rd for stone in general; manufacturing marble (12 mil.). Barre 10,734 *MontpeHer 7,856 Burlington 20,468 Rutland 13,546 Virginia (Va.) 2,061,612 Third tobacco state, 5th for coke, 6th for iron ore, and for mineral waters, 7th for pig iron; manufactures tobacco (25 mil.), lumber (36 mil.), flour (18 mil.), and fertilizers. First in oysters. Alexandria 15,329 Petersburg 24,127 Danville 19,020 Portsmouth 33,190 Lynchburg 29,494 *Richmond 127,628 Newport News 20,205 Roanoke 34,874 Norfolk 67,452 Staunton 10,604 Washington (Wash.) 1,141,990 Leads in manufacturing lumber (89 mil.); 5th wheat state. Aberdeen 13.660 Seattle 237,194 Bellingham 24 298 Second Pacific port; gateway for Everett 24,814' • siota^ne 104 402 North Yakima 14,082 Tacoma 83,743 *01ympia 6,996 ^-^j^^ ^^^^ 19 3^4 West Virginia (W. Va.) 1,221,119 Fourth mineral state (106 mil.), 1st for natural gas. 3rd for coal; man- ufactures lumber (29 mil.), iron and steel (22 mil.), and glass (8 mil.). Bluefield 11 188 Martinsburg 10,698 ♦Charleston 22,996 Parkersburg 17,842 Huntington 31,161 Wheeling 41,641 Wisconsin (Wise.) 2,333,860 First state for mineral waters and for rye, 2nd dairying state, 3rd for lime, 4th for zinc, 5th for iron ore and for lead, 3rd for barley, 5th for potatoes, and for oats, 6th for tobacco; manufactures lumber (58 mil.), leather (50 mil.), beer (32 mil.), meat products (27 mil.), paper (26 mil.), and farm machinery (11 mil.). Appleton 16,773 Milwaukee 373,857 AcVilanH 11 ^04. Manufactures leather (27 mil.), c 1 •*. Vc IOC and beer (19 mil.)— most famous tseloit ir),lZ5 breweries in the United States; Eau Claire 18,310 noted for its German population; Fond du Lac 18,797 tenth city for manufactures (208 ?InZ■^^^''^^i^I^ Oshkosh 33.062 janesviiie l.3,«y^ Largest match factory in the Kenosha 21,371 United States. La Crosse 30,417 Racine 38,002 ♦Madison 25,531 Sheboygan 26.398 Manitowoc 13,027 Superior 40.384 Marinette 14,610 Wausau 16,560 Wyoming (Wyo.) 145,965 Second wool state, 3rd in asbestos, 10th in coal. ♦Cheyenne 11,320 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 157 APPENDIX B A Syllabus of Lectures on The Principles gf Success in Business Copyrisrbt, 1912. by Shenvln Cody. AMERICAN IDEALS IN BUSINESS Among certaiu classes of i^eople there is an idea that business is a matter of overreaching the other fellow, driving a sharp bar- gain, growing rich at the exi>ense of the helpless. The advertise- ment that deceives is the most successful, and the salesman who gets his orders by hypnotism is the really clever one. "There are letters in that book that would 'sell rotten apples.' " writes an English reviewer, and he really thought that selling rotten apples for good ones was the true business ideal — that is, if you could '•put it over." It is true that patent-medicine men have built up fortunes on fraud, and publishers have grown rich (sometimes) by talking advantage of authors, and millionaires have ruined the homes of widows and children to build up their fortunes through "squeez- ing the helpless and ignorant." Such instances are well known, because they are the cases that are advertised in the newspapers, which find that crime is news. The thousands and millions of business men who have quiet and happy homes and carry on their business on the basis of mutual service attract no attention and are seldom mentioned. It is they, however, and they alone, who have built up American trade until it stands first in the world. All the deceit and clever hypnotic shrewdness in the world never advanced a nation one iota. America has grown by what it has produced, by the good 158 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS it has done the world, the actufil wealth that it has created. The few rogues who have crushed out competitors, deceived ignorant buyers, run "corners" on the Board of Trade, and accumulated fortunes by gambling, so getting more than their share of riches, have not added a single dollar to the total of American wealth, but probably have destroyed millions. And the fact is, few of them have even lived to enjoy their stolen gains ; they have died poor, unhappy, or execrated by their fellows. When the present writer was struggling in New York one big business manager ruthlessly broke a contract — and five years later he was in Sing Sing at hard labor. Another was arbitrary and unjust, and in the end he fled the country, a self-confessed embezzler, to stretch out a living death in an obscure corner of Africa. The ideal of the American business man is personal service. There is some one thing that every man, woman, and child in all this world can do or give that can be had as well from no one else. In that one small corner he has or can have a monopoly. He has got that monopoly by concentrating on his own work until in that one particular he stands unique in the service he can render his fellows about him. Getting for that service what it is worth is salesmanship; but there can be no true salesmanship until there is true value to sell, until something unique has been produced. So the broad philosophy of business is to add to the world something it has never had before in equal quality and then to exchange it in the markets for the unique services performed by others, which will tend to make each a complete and well-rounded human being, enjoying everything that anybody has done. And the strange thing about it is that the only coin that is really good in this broad exchange is unique personal service. The rich man's son may inherit his millions and may think he can go out and buy life, but it escapes him every time. To the American business man the one great joy in life is the pleasure of playing the game. The great game of war as our forefathers played it, the game of knight errantry in the middle ages, or the game of social success as played by the aristocrats of Europe, not one of these is more exciting, more thoroughly pleasurable, and certainly not one is nobler than the game of business as it is played by the American man of business who knows the rules and obeys them with scrupulous honor. It is a game in which American women have a part that has never been told and in which more and THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 159 more girls will take an equal part with boys, though the American game of business is pre-eminently a man's game. Every one of j'ou wants to know how to play that game suc- cessfully and get out of it all there is in it He wants to know how to play the game with a high hand and not go groveling and crawling along behind, trying to keep out of the way of the real players. This lecture course is planned for the express purpose of showing boys and girls how to play the American game of busi- ness in a clean, siK)rtsmanlike, healthy way — in a way to enjoy it through and through, and in a way to be better when we come to die and thank God we were iiermitted to live such a life. Making Oneself Fit. When an athlete sets out to win in baseball, football, running, jumping, or any other athletic contest the first thing he tries to do is to "make himself fit" — to get a clear head and a quick eye, a good digestion and firm, resilient muscles. The next thing is to find a scientific trainer who knows the points of the game through long and repeated personal experi- ence and who will teach the aspirant day by day until he gets the necessary skill. In the end, however, success will depend far more on personal fitness than on technical skill, as personal fitness is so much harder to acquire. One of the most successful systems of business training is that devised by Arthur Frederick Sheldon, who himself has been a remarkable personal salesman. There have been other good salesmen, but Mr. Sheldon was the first to formulate the principles of successful selling into a science that could be taught to others. As Professor Walter Dill Scott stands as the chief writer on "The Psychology of Display Advertising;" Frank Gilbreth, Harrington Emerson, and Dr. Frederick Winslow Taylor as the formulators of the principles of "Scientific Shop Management," and Sherwin Cody of "Office Salesmanship" (the psychology of using words effectively), so Mr. Sheldon is the acknowledged leader in the study of "Personality in Business" (making the man personally fit and then teaching him the art of success as a salesman). Every teacher of the subject ought to acknowledge indebtedness to the pioneer workers. Success in giving these lectures will depend on familiarity with the teachings of the pioneers, but chiefly with Sheldon's teachings on man-building. .160 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS LECTT RE I. Supervision. What does it really cost to get out one letter? There is the time of the stenographer who takes down the letter from dictation and transcribes it on the typewriter. There is the time of the dictator. But that is not all. There is the time required to look the letter over after it is written, and there is the time of the person who looks after the stenographer to see that she gets to the office at the right time in the morning, that she has just the right amount of work supplied to keep her busy all day, that she uses just the right stationery, that she makes just the right enclosures in the letter, and, lastly, that she works under such conditions as to accomplish the maximum amount of work in a day. Looking over the letter and looking after the stenographer are "super- vision" and are a part of the total labor needed to get out each letter. It is easy to figure up what these different phases of the work really cost in any particular case. For example, suppose there are five dictators, each receiving |25 a week, one head stenog- rapher receiving also $25 a week, and ten stenographers each re- ceiving $12 a week. Each stenographer averages 100 letters a day, each dictator dictating 200, the total being 1,000 letters. These figures closely correspond to the actual facts in a certain large mail-order house where the writer was once connected. What does each letter cost? Suppose the stenographers become more proficient, so that each stenographer can write 20 letters without dictation, or all of them 200 letters a day. That would save one dictator, whose salary is $25 a week. How much would each stenographer then be worth if the cost per letter remained the same? If less supervision were needed, sc that the head stenographer could do the work of one regular stenographer and also supervise the work of the others, what would each stenographer be worth if the cost per letter remained the same? Law: The efficiency value of each individual varies inversely with the cost of the supervision needed. LECTURE IL Standards of Value in Service. The value of service varies as its character varies. Of course, the best office boy in the world is not worth as much as any good THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 161 stenographer, nor the best stenographer as much as any good manager. Any manager not worth more than a good stenog- rapher might be set do\^Ti as a complete failure as a manager. Thus grades of service are established. Within those grades efficiency is largely proportioned to the amount of supervision required, until 100 per cent efficiency indi- cates that no supervision is required. Such a condition is never reached by anyone. The manager is supervised by the officers of the corporation, the officers by the directors as a body or by each other, the directors by the stockholders and by the public and by the laws of nature. Nature alone is absolutely efficient without supervision. What happens to a man working for himself as a farmer if he makes mistakes? To a retail grocer? To a trust magnate? Compare also the most successful retail grocer with a suc- cessful wholesaler as to personal business value; the banker in a small town with the banker in a large city. The services of no man can be of greater value than his opportunity, and yet the higher opportunity follows naturally the attainment of maximum efficiency within the grade in which the individual is at work. LECTURE III. Four Grades of Efficiency Among Stenographers. Stenographers may be classified into four grades, according to their efficiency: 1. Stenographers who are slow and make mistakes, so they require constant supervision. 2. Stenographers who are quick and accurate, yet cannot write letters for themselves. 3. Stenographers who can put letters into good language when told in a general way briefly what to say. 4. Stenographers who c"au get out all routine letters without even consulting the manager. The first is a beginner, and all must at one time or another be beginners. T'nfortuuately, some never get any higher — they are chronic beginners. The second is an efficient stenographer, but not yet even a beginner as a private secretary. The third is a beginner as a private secretary. The fourth has become an efficient private secretary through having learned the particular business with which she is con- 162 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS nected and is ready to be promoted to the next grade, that of assistant manager. What four grades of booklveepers are there, and how do per- sons advance from one grade to another? LECTURE IV. Grades of Efficiency Among Salesmen. The "Order-Taker" gives the customer what he insists ov having. The Efficient Salesman helps the customer to find out what will serve him best. Illustrate the difference between an ''order-taker" and ai« "efficient salesman" in a retail grocery. LECTURE V. Degrees of Efficiency in Supervision. Perhaps the best analysis of what efficient supervision is ma? be found in Dr. Frederick Winslow Taylor's "Principles of Scien- tific Management," which he illustrates on pages 40 to 47 by describing how a pig-iron handler was enabled by proper super- vision to load 47^2 tons of pig iron on a freight car In one day instead of the average of 12 14 tons in a day which good laborers attained without the new scientific supervision. First, the manager or supervisor found out the "science or handling pig iron" with the smallest waste of energy. Then he found out how to measure the amount of work a good laborer could do in a day under the most favorable circum- stances. He studied how fast a man should work, how often he should rest; and what attitude of mind he should be in. He also studied the problem of how to produce the right attitude of mind. He eliminated those who were not fitted to do a full day*s work at handling pig iron, placing them in other departments where their natural abilities were employed to better advantage None of these things could the workman do for himself, how- ever naturally efficient, because he was in ttie class of workmen and not in the class of managers. If the workman who loaded 12% tons of pig iron a day was worth $1.15 a day, how much was the manager worth who super- vised 75 pig-iron handlers and enabled them to load 47% tons a day? THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 163 But to get them to do the increased work he had to pay them $1.85, and the difference should be deducted from his value. Make another estimate of his value. The general manager who discovered the fact that there was a science of handling pig iron was entitled to some of the increased value; but his idea was distributed among 100 gangs of 75 men each, and this was only one idea of over 100 which he discovered. Could he accumulate a fortune of a million dollars as honestly as a laborer could earn $1.85 a day? LECTI RE VI. Wasted Supervision. Supervision is really in part education. After the supervisor of the pig-iron handler taught one man to follow the rules of the science of Jiandling pig iron he could teach another, merely giving a little time to watch the first man. Then he would add another and another, until he was supervising 75 men whom he had taught one at a time. But with the increased efficiency only 25 men would do all the work there was to be done at that place, and the other 50 would be out of jobs. The supervisor after he had taught all the men so they could get along with little watching might find some one who couldn't teach the science at all, but could watch those who already had learned it, who would take his place. Then he, too, would be out of a job as well as the 50 men. That supervisor might say, "I will pretend that these men can't do the work without me, that I exercise some occult power over them, so I shall keep my job." So he continues to supervise though h's supervision is not needed. What would you say of such a supervisor? Would you not say he was throwing away an opportunity to be promoted from his position as supervisor to a position as teacher of supervisors at greatly increased salary? What, then, would you say of the workmen who pass rules limiting the amount of work they will do in a day so other work- men will not be thrown out of employment? If the efficient work- men become so effective, would they not be promoted to a higher grade and so leave their positions still to be filled by the workmen they thought would be thrown out of positions? The world is full of difficult tasks to be performed, with very few to perform them, and the more the efficient workers mount into the higher ranks which are empty the more room there will 164 TFIE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS be for the laborers below, and the more big tasks that are under- taken the more need there will be for all grades of workers. LECTURE VII. How Workers May Buy Supervision for Their Own Benefit. In the case of the pig-iron handler, if he had been able to go to the management and say, "I have learned how to handle 47^ tons of iron in a day instead of 12 1/^ ; will you pay me 8 cents a ton instead of $1.15 a day?" he probably would have been taken up on his offer and he would have been earning nearly $4 a day instead of $1.85 a day, as he did when the management taught him. He could not have invented the science of handling pig iron, but undoubtedly he could have gone to a teacher of the science, had there been one available, and by paying him $100 to teach him the science he would have increased his earning power per- haps $750 a year. That is interest on $7,500 at 10 per cent. So $100 invested in education, plus the initiative necessary to go after the education, would have been as good as a personal capital stock of $7,500. How much is the initiative to go after the education actually worth in that case? What will the education you are getting here be worth to you? LECTURE VIIL Who Pays for Supervision? Mr. Sheldon tells of a young woman in a Pittsburgh retail store where most of the saleswomen were getting $5 to $8 a week. She kept track of every customer who came to her counter, notified them by postal card or telephone every time there was a special sale in which they would be likely to be interested or there were any "bargains" they would wish to take advantage of. Her efficient service to customers was so valuable to the firm that she was finally getting $3,000 a year. She was her own supervisor; she did not need supervision paid for by the firm. Who really was paying for the supervision of the girls who got only $250 to $400 a year? LECTURE IX. The Saving of Wasted Motion. Frank Gilbreth. in his book on "Motion Study," tells how a stranger passed him on the street one day when he was laying bricks and told him he was wasting a great many motions. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 165 Each time he wanted a brick he stooped over and picked it up from the floor, and so with each brick he was lifting tf 3 weight of his heavy body over and over again, which he won d not have to do if the bricks were on a level with his hand. Then the bricks were all mixed up in a pile and he had to toss each one up in the air two or three times to see which was the best side to place outward. This might have been saved had a cheap boy placed all the bricks in a row with the good side out- ward, so saving the time of the high-priced bricklayer. Where he was taking out on his trowel each time enough mortar to lay one brick he found if he had a deeper mortar box he could take out enough to lay several and spread this mortar for several bricks at one movement of the hand instead of with one movement for each brick as before. In all he reduced the motions necessary from 18 to 3 in many cases, or 6 at the most. What was the value of this discovery to the entire bricklaying Industry? Is the entire bricklaying industry to-day saving these 12 or 15 wasted motions? If not, why not? What is a saver of wasted motions worth in any business? LECTURE X. Distinction Between Supervision and Direction. In our study so far we have found that two elements enter into the work of the manager — that of discovering and teaching a pew science of work, and that of watching employees after they have been taught this science. If there is a scienre of handling pig iron and a science of laying brick, there are thousands of other sciences in business, and to develop these sciences and teach them to employees is the proper work of managers. Supervision, properly speaking, is watching employees after they have learned the new science to see that they do not make errors. To perform the work in the grade of employment in which one finds one's self at maximum speed without errors is 100 per cent efficiency. The best of us make some errors, so no one ever really attains 100 per cent efficiency, however near we may approach to perfection. Lindley Murray, the great writer on English grammar, had half a dozen glaring violations of his own rules in the nine- teenth edition of his book, and no doubt his attention had been called to many others in his earlier editions which he had cor- 166 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS rected. In this case, the general public was his supervisor. What are the errors of the office boy, the stenographer, the bookkeeper, the salesman, the office manager, which ought to be eliminated? The first step toward improvement is to make an inventory of our known errors so we can go systematically about eliminating them. Prof. Wm. James has said that careful investigation has proved that the average man does not use over 10 per cent of his brain cells. Are you letting 90 per cent of your brain cells go to waste? LECTUKE XI. Errors of the Teacher. As it is easier to see faults in others than in ourselves, let us begin with the teacher. The teacher makes an error if he works his pupils too hard. The brain becomes dulled and fails to remember, and the harder the teacher tries to make the pupil learn the less is actually accomplishd. Perhaps the error in that case is in keeping the pupil's mind too long on one point without variety or change. Systematic study and rest gives the best results, and the manager in the office must see that his employees get variety. If they are working on one small ©peration he should make them stop and rest at regular intervals, even if they would like to keep right on, for he knows they will accomplish more during the day if they work half an hour and then rest five minutes thar if they work three or four hours without rest. The teacher who worries his pupils makes an error, for the worry causes the formation of poisons in the brain, which weaken efficiency. The teacher makes an error if he does not show them point by point how to learn their lessons, but merely punishes them if they fail. The manager of an office makes an error if he merely tells an assistant what he wants done without finding out if the work is understood; and then discharges the employee when he finds the work not done. He must make sure his instructions are fully understood. The teacher makes an error if he goes on teaching pupils what they know already. The manager makes a similar error if he keeps on watching his employees all the time, even when they have become quite capable of getting along just as well with- out watching. He not only wastes his time, but prevents the employees from developing their powers. The teacher must give THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 167 pupils new work just as fast as they are capable of handling it or they will make less progress than they should. lecturp: XII. Errors in the Office. Errors are of two kinds — errors of omission and errors of com- mission. It is much easier to eliminate all errors of commission, real mistakes that can be pointed out, than to eliminate all errors of omission — that is, to do everything that ought to be done. These are the negative and the positive sides of the subject. The positives (doing all the things you ought to do) are much more important than the negatives (eliminating actual faults). The private secretary of Pillsbury, the great flour manufac- turer, once said to the writer of this, "Hardly a day passes that I do not make a mistake that costs the company at least $5,000. What I try to do is to avoid making errors that cost the company $100,000 to $150,000. A few errors like that will make a big hole in the dividends." For example : A stenographer in a hurry to get home omitted the street number in addressing the envelope that was to carry a bid for a big public contract. The bid was delayed a few hours and the contract was lost — a little hurried carelessness on the part of one stenographer cost the firm $100,000. The blame is not all hers, however, for the manager should have noticed the omission. Perhaps he should have taken no chances of delay in the mail by sending a messenger with so im- portant a paper. A bookkeeper charged with keeping a record of an advertising test made preparatory to a big campaign made a mistake of one figure, representing one dollar. The test showed a profit of 80 cents instead of a loss of 20 cents. On a $100,000 expenditure this meant a loss of $20,000 instead of a profit of $80,000 in the par- ticular case in question. But what of the error of the manager who put out so large a campaign after so slight a test? LECTURE XIII. Errors of Salesmanship. Mr. Sheldon tells the story of the errors of a veteran salesman, who for years had been selling for a wholesale grocery house, and showing a large volume of sales. An expert was called in to analyze his sales, and found he 168 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS was selling large amounts of staples such as sugar, on which there was a small margin of profit, working a few large buyers. The actual profit he was making for the house was therefore com- paratively small — smaller than the good salary he was receiving. He should have called on many small buyers, and pushed the specialties of the house on which there was a large profit. When this was called to his attention he rebelled, saying he had been with the house longer than the sales manager and knew how to sell groceries without having any one teach him. He lost his position because of this second error. A young salesman came in and pushed the specialties with the small buyers as well as the large ones, and showed a larger total of sales, as well as a much larger margin of profit for the house. A retail salesman took an order for a wedding present to be sent to a prospective bridegroom but to be charged to the person who gave the order. The salesman in the store made a mistake and charged it to the bridegroom to whom it was sent. Imagine the surprise of that person when he received a large bill for some- thing he had not ordered and knew nothing about ! What do you think happened to that salesman when the charge customer re- ported what had been done? LECTURE XIV. How to Reduce Errors. Supervision is the established system for reducing errors. A manager goes over all the work to catch the errors and correct them before they have done any harm. The truth is, most persons can largely supervise themselves if they will make the effort systematically enough. The time of the employee is less valuable than the time of the manager, and it is a mistake to let the responsibility for correcting errors all go over on to the manager or supervisor. Many stenographers who know they do fairly good work never glance over their letters ; but if they formed the habit of carefully checking each letter before the manager is allowed to see it, they would find they were catching most of the errors themselves. Every address especially should be compared word for word with the original. The habit of checking so that nothing is ever passed without systematic verification would be worth a very great deal to every stenographer. It is easy for the bookkeeper to copy off the items of an invoice : but if he does not have the fixed habit of going over the THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 169 items again and checking them he is sure to let a certain propor- tion of errors slip through. Errors that waste time may often be saved by planning your work in advance. A salesman has ten calls to make, and if he will lay out his route so he can make those ten calls on the shortest possible line, without doubling back, he will save time that he now wastes because he is too lazy to sit down and write out his itinerary before he starts instead of trying to carry it roughly in his head. If you work under a manager, fix firmly in your mind the idea that you are going to be your own manager so as to eliminate the actual manager as quickly and as completely as possible. Think constantly of what he would say about this, and that, and the other, and you will be surprised to find how soon you are getting along without him. You probably have a bad habit of leaning on him — just simply leaning in a lazy way — and it is time you broke up that habit. Go systematically about forming the habit of mental double checking. LECTURE XV. Success Requires Positive Personal Qualities. "If I could only get rid of all my errors, I should be perfect," has been the thought of many a struggler since the beginning of modern civilization. "If I can only rid him of all his mistakes, I shall have an ideal pupil," says the teacher, and most teachers devote most of their time to removing imperfections. As a matter of fact, concentrating the mind on removing errors never has produced success and never will. It tends to fix the person forever in the grade in which he already is. The stenog- rapher becomes so perfect a stenographer he or she can never be anything else — "faultily faultless" as the poet expresses it. Once in a large competition for prizes in story writing offered to Chicago school children certain schools turned in hundreds of stories written in a copperplate Spencerian hand, without an error of grammar or an error of punctuation. Among these, however, one was written in a very irregular hand, many words were misspelled, and the punctuation was not of the best. But that story had positive ideas in it, its writer had developed very positive qualities. That was the only story that was even considered, and it finally won a prize, not because of the poor bandwriting or the misspelling of the words, but in spite of them. 170 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS A few positive good qualities will easily outweigh many minor imperfections. In any case, the best way to correct errors is to develop the qualities for the lack of which the errors come. One may learn all the rules of grammar and rhetoric, and yet make hundreds of mistakes that would not be made at all by a person who forms the habit of thinking clearly. The possible number of errors is so enormous that while you are correcting one you are unconsciously making three more. But the clear and careful thinker has little occasion to correct errors. LECTURE XVI. Health — the Most Important Positive Quality in Business Without health and strength there is no chance for success in business whatever. Business means work — very steady, often grinding work, day in and day out, week after week. Unless you can stand that grind you cannot even hold a minor position. The degree of success is in direct ratio to physical endurance. Napoleon could work from eighteen to twenty hours a day and sleep four or five hours. Lincoln could bear the strain and worry of a distracted nation for years without breaking down or even wavering physically. Great business men have invariably had great endurance. We often think health is a gift of nature, an inheritance. Almost without exception it is within our own power to control. The great medica' profession has developed a science of preserv- ing health. The essentials are considered to be the following: Neither too much nor too little, but just the right amount of well selected and well cooked food taken three times a day. The proper amount of sleep — usually eight hours a day, though some need more and some need less. Proper attention to recreation and pleasure. Those who try to get along without it seriously reduce their capacity to work. Fresh Air. It is best to sleep out of doors all the year round, or at any rate with one or more large windows wide open. We should work in pure air that is constantly moving through the room, being careful always to keep quite warm, though con- stantly hardening ourselves to resist cold, as by taking a cool sponge bath every morning. It is best to sleep in a room below 55° Fahr., and living rooms should have a humidity above 40°. Systematically getting the right amount of exercise every day all the year round. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 171 Those who get the right food, sleep, fresh air, and exercise cannot possibly overwork. LECTURE XVII. The Right Food for an Office Worker. (Dr. W. A. Evans.) Appetite is our best guide, and it would be a mistake to try to follow a scientific diet unless told to do so by a physician. Most of us probably are about right, but some of us are deeply imbedded in wrong habits. Let us check over our diet by the following rough table to see where we stand. Office workers need on the average about 2,500 calories of heat and 800 grains of protein. Foods not found in the following list may be counted as the same as the nearest kind in the list. A light breakfast, about the same lunch, aud a good dinner at night is usually best for office workers who can rest in the evening. Carefully add up your food to see whether you are eating too much or too little. To fill in the gap between the scientific and the everyday, Arnold of Boston has devised some diet tables based on Atwater and Bryant's bulletin 48 (Department of Agriculture), containing handy information such as the following: Gr. pro- Breakfast. Calories. tein. Bread, 1 ounce 80 45 Cereal, 4 tablespoonf uls 135 60 Potato, 2 ounces 80 30 Rice, 4 tablespoonf uls 240 60 Milk, 7 ounces 140 120 Buttermilk, 8 ounces 100 112 Meat, 5 ounces 400 600 Grapefruit, 20 ounces 100 Sugar. 180 grains 50 Cream, 1 tablespoonf ul, 18 per cent 27 6 Egg, one 80 120 Bacon, Vo ounce 90 22 The lean part of a lamb chop weighs one ounce; a thin slice of beef, one ounce ; one cubic inch of meat, one ounce. Meat loses 25 per cent in weight in cooking. It loses less than 5 per cent in nutrition units, since that which goes off in cooking is water, some aromatics, and some fat. Coffee has so little food value that it can be omitted. 172 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS Dinner. One portion of soup- Soup, one pint, equals 200 calories and 180 grains protein. Chowder, one pint, equals 360 calories and 480 grains protein. Fish, game, chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, goose, lean ham — Ordi- nary helping, about one-quarter pound, equals 125 to 250 calories, according to how much fat it contains, and 300 grains protein. Butter — One pat, one-third ounce, equals 80 calories; practically no protein. Butter beans — One-quarter pound equals IGO calories and 150 grains protein. Green corn — Four ounces equals 100 calories and 45 grains protein. Green peas — Four ounces equals 100 calories and 105 grains protein. Turnips — Four ounces equals 50 calories and 30 grains protein. Fodder vegetables and their juices, having but little food value, are asparagus, string beans, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauli- flower, celery, cucumbers, greens, spinach, lettuce, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, tomatoes. Apples — One-quarter pound equals 60 calories. Raisins — One-quarter pound equals 350 calories. Figs and prunes — One-quarter pound equals 80 calories. Pineapple — One-quarter pound equals 40 calories. Almonds — One-quarter pound equals 650 calories and 300 grainy protein. Pecans — One-quarter pound equals 750 calories and 150 grains protein. Bread or rice pudding — One-quarter pound equals 175 calories and 60 grains protein. Custard — Large cupful (8 ounces) equals 240 calories and 180 grains protein. Cake — Large slice (one ounce) equals 85 calories and 20 grains protein. LECTURE XVIIL The Correct Theory of Exercise. Few office workers get sufficient exercise, especially when the weather is bad. It is largely because they do not follow a scintific system. Exercise should never tire so as to cause excessive muscular waste. Its object is to get the blood to circulate freely in all THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 173 parts of the body and so throw off impurities instead of allowing them to accumulate and clog the system, especially the brain. It also keeps the muscles in tone, ready for vigorous reaction. We may walk five miles, and yet not exercise the arms, back, or shoulders very much. The leg muscles get too much exercise. The same is true of most games — they exercise some muscles too much so waste is produced, and other muscles not enough or not at all. It is said that a scientific series of exercises that takes one set of muscles after another and gives them half a minute each with a brief rest between each movement, in all fifteen or twenty minutes divided between about thirty-five different sets of muscles, will do more good than playing golf all day or walking for several hours. The writer has found that ten or fifteen minutes each morning given to these scientific movements with- out apparatus of any kind except a couch and a chair has com- pletely overcome a tendency to catch colds that had yielded to no other form of treatment, and made possible the most intense and continuous mental work with an increase of health instead of growing lassitude. We recommend as a good book Mfiller's ''My System — 15 Minutes' Work a Day for Health's Sake." LECTURE XIX. Cleanliness and Germs. It has now been pretty well proved that many diseases are caused by harmful germs. The germs of colds, pneumonia, and consumption are well known, and so are the germs of intesti- nal diseases. These germs feed on filth, and the only good way to fight them is to keep clean. Bad air is filthy air, and that usually means germ-laden air. Bad food is usually well supplied with germs whether we can see them or not, and they breed in the intestines. Absolutely clean cooking will cure almost any case of indigestion. Acid-forming germs feeding on decayed food in the mouth rot the teeth. Dirty skins cause pimples and blackheads. Cleanliness requires that we scour the pots and pans every time they are used — that we wash the body thoroughly at least once a day — that we wash the mouth and teeth with some filth destroyer like peroxide of hydrogen — that we wash the inside of the body by drinking plenty of pure water. 174 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS LECTURE XX. Reliability the First Great Requirement in Business. Ask any business man what the first great qualification for an employee is and he will invariably tell you, "Reliability." You may be as smart as the devil, but the wise business man will not be tempted by that smartness. Business men will probably pay more in salary for reliability than for any other single quality. This applies to office boys and clerks quite as much as to bank cashiers. What is reliability? The person who makes an appointment and is ten minutes late is not reliable. The person who is ten minutes too early is not strong mentally. The person who is always right on the dot will soon make an unshakable reputation. The person who stays at home sick without giving notice is not reliable. If he or she has typhoid fever, pneumonia, or apoplexy it will probably be necessary to stay at home ; but even in that case it is always possible to send word promptly. In all other cases the reliable person is on his job till the manager tells him he had better go home. The reliable person always gets his work out even if he stays till midnight. The reliable person always goes to the manager and tells him if he is unable to do any given work — doesn't just let it slip and hope nobody will find it out. Reliability is moral endurance, t^^pified by the rock of Gibraltar. The person who has a genius for moral endurance' is likely to get a big salary almost for that alone. Another word for it is thoroughness. LECTURE XXL Second Requirement in Business a Pleasing Personality. A person may be born with good looks, and if born without them cannot get them, but they are only a minor element of a pleasing personality. In the eyes of a business man cleanliness and neatness are the first marks of a pleasing personality, and all may have these. A cheerful disposition is the second mark of a pleasing per- sonality, and that usually is the result of cultivating an unselfish eagerness to help others. Selfishness and whining go together, and these make wrinkles in the face and worry in the eyes. Being a "good mixer" is indispensable to lawyer or doctor. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 175 LECTURE XXII. How to Develop a Pleasing Personality There is just one way to develop a pleasing personality, and that is to set the mind steadfastly on hope, courage, helpfulness to others who especially need help (helping those who don't need help is sycophancy). Each morning when you rise, say "I WILL be cheerful to- day." When your back aches, think about how much you will en- joy getting to bed at night — not how the back aches. The more you think about the aching back, the more it will ache. The less you think about it and instead think of something more cheerful, the less it will ache. The most cheerful people on earth are the Christian Scien- tists, who have made a religion of denying that there is any such thing as pain, suffering, and failure. Whether you agree with their other doctrines or not, every one must admit that setting the mind resolutely toward cheerfulness and success is the great- est possible step toward getting them. LECTURE XXin. Ability the Third Business Requirement. Most of us think that ability comes first instead of last. But those who have watched the brilliant and able fall like moths in the flame because of poor health, because of lack of reliability, or because of a nasty disposition, while the cheerful plodders have won the race as in the story of the hare and the tortoise, know that we have arranged these qualities in their true order of importance. But no great success can ever be attained unless we add ability and will power to the three great underlying requirements of health, reliability, and pleasing personality. The first thing we must do in order to develop and make the most of the ability we were born with (for none of us can get ourselves born over again) is to find out what we are best fitted for. Dr. Taylor when he taught pig-iron handlers to load 47^2 tons of pig iron in a day instead of 12 1^, first of all selected his men, and found that only one in eight was physically able to handle pig iron at the Increased rate ; yet it was not at all difficult to find as many as he wished. A good pig-iron handler needed to 176 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS be rather stupid, for if he were intelligent he wouldn't be content with that sort of work. Therefore the first step toward success so far as you yourself can determine it is, "Know thyself." Find out what one little thing in the world you can do better than anybody else. Monopoly is the first great secret of business success. Now what can you make your monopoly? LECTURE XXIV. Accuracy and Speed. The best employee is the one who can work with the greatest accuracy combined with the greatest speed. Accuracy comes first, speed second. Many think speed is first, and if they get speed they will be accurate enough to pass. As a matter of fact, lack of accuracy so often causes workers to turn around and do their work over again that It absolutely destroys natural speed. If accuracy is put first, whatever speed is attained will be permanent. Speed comes with practice. Starting with a sure foundation of accuracy, one can almost count on time doing the rest. But time only confirms a habit of inaccuracy, and those who place speed ahead of accuracy are almost positively shut out from ever attaining first place. LECTURE XXV. Initiative. In business new situations are always coming up — or at any rate new combinations of old situations. Initiative is recognizing those situations, deciding what ought to be done, and doing it. Girls usually lack initiative because of natural timidity. Boys lack initiative because of poor judgment. The person who does the wrong thing a few times is likely to be "called down" so hard he does not forget it right away. Women have a natural intuition as to what the occasion requires, and it is a wise man who is guided by that intuition. That is one reason why married men frequently succeed in busi- ness where they failed before marriage, and why many employers encourage their men to marry. Another reason is that marriage gives stability. Girls ought to develop their courage and will power; but as that will be a slow process, they are likely to make more progress through attaching themselves to an employer who is THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 177 shrewd enough to act ol their suggestions. Any girl who will watch her intuitions and systematically give her employer sug- gestions as to what would be an improvement, may at first have her ideas neglected, but after a time is sure to prove her worth and find her employer quick to resiK)nd to every hint. Boj's on the other hand as a rule should cultivate patience, and go over the situation again and again before really doing anything, to be sure it is right. Their great danger in cultivating initiative is that they will do the wrong thing and have to pay the penalty. LECTI'RE XXVI. Initiative Depends on Knowing the Business. The prime quality of a business manager is initiative. It was initiative that conceived and develoi^ed every successful busi- ness. Initiative on the part of the employee means doing some of the work of the manager. The successful employee likely to be promoted to a higher grade is a 'iittle manager," a sort of sub- stitute for the manager, doing as many things as i)ossible that the manager would otherwise have to do. There are two elements in the usefulness of all employees. One is his knowledge of his special art, as that of the stenog- rapher, bookkeeper, or salesman, and the other is knowledge of how to apply that special art or skill to the requirements of one particular business. Many stenographers think it makes little difference what business they go into, or how often they change; and the same is often true of bookkeepers and salesmen. As a matter of fact few employees are of much value till the employer has taught them his particular business. Employees without initiative are content to be only stenog- raphers, bookkeepers, or salesmen. Employees with initiative go systematically about studying the special business in which they are working, so that when occasion arises they will be able to do what the manager would have done himself. It is easy for the person who knows the business, but very hard for the person who does not know it. LECTURE XXVII. Analysis of a Business. In Section Eight, page 201, of "How to Do Business by Let- ter and Advertising," we find a study of the Preliminary Analysis of a Business. The suggested steps are as follows : 178 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 1. Collect and study all the printed matter and advertising of that business. These are intended to educate the public on the merits of that business, and they ought to be your best textbook in studying it. 2. As the minds of the customers have been largely shaped by the advertising and sales talk of competitors, the second step is to go systematically about finding out all about the competition that must be met, by collecting and studying the advertising matter of competitors. 3. In what points has this business a monopoly over all others? 4. Get a vivid image of the typical or average or best cus- tomer of the house so in all your actions you feel as if you were dealing with one man or woman whom you know very well indeed. 5. What form of appeal is most successful with that tyiiical customer — how can you best make him see the points on which your house has a monopoly? LECTURE XXVIII. Aim at Becoming a Manager. The persons who make big money are the managers of busi- nesses. If you wish to make big money in business you must aim at becoming a manager yourself. How can you best succeed in that? The answer is simple. Cultivate initiative, help the manager, practice on thinking the manager's thoughts, study the business as he studies it, identify yourself with his interests so you would care for them in his absence just as you would if you were his mother, his father, his wife, his husband — that is, just as if you were his other self, without being obtrusive, without interference, but always "Johnny-on-the-spot" when something important needs to be done and no one else seems likely to do it. It matters little whether you will ever have a chance to manage that particular business or not. Get to the bottom of one business, and you have learned how to get to the bottom of all businessos. The practice in thinking managerial thoughts, either after a real manager who thinks them successfully, or in place of a real manager who cannot do everything that might be done, is the only effective training to become a manager. THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 17^ LECTURE XXIX. The Elements of Success in Business Management. Whether or not you ever go iuto business for yourself, it is important that you get beyond the general manager to the pro- prietor or originator of the business. Let us take a lesson on starting a business. The first consideration is, Can I give people something they really need and want, and give it better than any one else in the world? Unless people really need what you propose to give, they will not want it long ; and unless they really want it, it is not for you to say they need it. The initial step is to test the market to see whether it exists or not, and do it at the very smallest possible cost. Study will enable you to find out how to experiment economically. The second question is, Can you equip yourself to give this thing you know the people want, or to perform the service they require? That is a question of capital, or of the co-operation of other people who are in commanding positions. Your first piece of business is to get that capital or persuade those commanding people, and if you can't do that it is not at all likely you can reach the other people successfully. Thousands of businesses have failed, and have been doomed to failure from the start, for want of suflicient capital. The men at the head of it dash on leaving an enemy in the rear, or a weak spot through which the unexpected enemy of hard times is pretty sure to break sooner or later. Examine the businesses you know and see if they have any points of monopoly, or are trying to crowd out some one just ahead; also if they started on a sound basis. LECTURE XXX. The Elements of Success in Business Management (continued). When a business has been started on a vital need of the people, and has got the backing it needs before plunging ahead, questions of scientific management should be studied. The first great question is, Does this business actually yield a profit? It has been discovered that a large proportion of actual businesses are run at a loss because the managers have no scientific cost system, and competition creates a tendency to make prices too low. No business cai\ be on a scientific basis unless its manager actually knows what it costs him to run it, .aid doesn't 180 THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS carelessly overlook any items, such as his own time; or whether he makes money on one department and loses it on others. That requires an efficient system of bookkeeping, and also an efficient system of analysing costs. Many printers go into bankruptcy because they forget some items in making their estimates, lacking a proper system of checking all possible items. Furniture manu- facturers lose because thej' have no system of separating the cost of one particular article from all the rest, and while they make money on some, they lose more on others, whereas if they cut out those on which they were suffering loss they would make a handsome profit. Advertising is necessary, but it is said 75 per cent is wasted because the advertisers have no scientific means of knowing what each particular form of advertising yields. Sonic pays and some does not; if they tested all on the smallest possible scale and knew they were putting out none which did not pay, that enormous waste would be largely eliminated. LECTURE XXXI. The Elements of Success in Business Management (continued). Competition is always forcing prices down. That on which there is a monopoly has only the competition of other human wants, and if the thing is wanted at all it can be sold at a good profit. That which is supplied equally well by many can at best show but a very small profit. But even at that, some may be forced out of business be- cause they cannot make the article as cheaply as a competitor; and others may make a fortune because they discover some way to reduce the cost below that of the average. The largest element of cost in nearly everything is labor. The wood in a table costs perhaps a dollar, and the labor of making it costs seven or eight dollars. That is a fair example of the relative value of labor in all manufacturing. Usually the cost of material cannot be reduced very much ; but the cost of labor may always be reduced by the science of "human engi- neering." Mr. Gilbreth's study of how to save the wasted motions in bricklaying and Mr. Taylor's study of the human engineering problem of how to load pig iron are mere passing illustrations of the enormous possibilities of scientific manage- ment, and how much more may be got out of employees if they are handled rightly. The fact is, short hours, good pay, a pleasant place to work, THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS 181 sympathetic teaching, and a kindly manner, pay the management so handsomely that its interests are Identical with the interests of the employee. When employee and employer are both wise enough to see that, there will be no strikes. LECTURE XXXII. The Three Sides of Business — Executive, Production, Selling In a manufacturing business there is the Factory, the Sales Force, and the Office, the producing, the selling, and the executive sides of the business. In a wholesale business the factory is re- placed by the Buyers, while the Sales Force and the Office remain the same. In a school there are the Teachers, the Sales Force (if it is a proprietary school), and the Office or general management. It is the business of the Factory to get the best possible goods for the least possible money, and systematic routine is the prevailing order of work. The work of the Executive is to supply the necessary capital, prepare the plans of campaign, and keep everything moving har- moniously. It is the business of the Sales Force to educate the customers on the merits of the goods, and bring in the orders to the office. The salesmen may go out and Fee the customers, talk to them, and take their orders — that is called personal salesmanship; or they may sit in the office and by means of advertisements and sales letters cause the orders to be mailed to the office — that is called office salesmanship. The fact that two kinds of work are done in the same office should not cause us to confuse the Executive with the Sales department. There are executive let- ters and there are sales letters, and they should be handled quite differently. Nevertheless, the development of Office Salesmanship has opened the door for the office employees to enter the selling end of the business — girls quite as much as boys. We have studied the personal qualities required for success in all departments alike, the factory, the office, and the sales force. We have seen some of the problems of business manage- ment, the work of the executive end of the business. Now we may take up a detailed study of the selling end of the business. We start with the assumption that the firm has something to sell which the public wants and really needs, with some features that cannot be found anywhere else, and while people may not know it, they would be better off if they spent some of their 182 PERSONAL SALESMANSHIP money on these goods — or at least that some people would. Mak- ing people take what is not for their best interests we have already called "plunder," not salesmanship. LECTURE XXXIII. The Art of Dealing with Human Nature We need to know the science of human nature so as to make ourselves efficient in all that goes to make up a big personality; we need to know the science of human nature so as to handle employees effectively and get out of them the best there is in them ; but above all we need to know the science of human nature so that we can handle customers. Selling is very much like educating, but with this difference: whereas the teacher has his pupils so they can't get away from him, the salesman must educate by attraction, without any power to compel responsive effort on the part of those he is teaching. In short, customers are like pupils at recess when they are all wrapped up in their games and do not feel any obligation to give attention. Though grown up, they are much like children; and like children they are very hard to understand. Personal salesmen go out and see their customers, and can keep on studying them till they really know them. Office sales- men must handle customers they cannot see, by the power of imagination. Obviously the best way to prepare for office sales- manship or advertising is to study personal salesmanship. We are now prepared to take up the principles of personal salesmanship as applied to soliciting enrolments for a commercial school. We study that because all the factors are within easy observation. OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 183 APPENDIX C Office Salesmanship Familiar Letters to a Private Secretary or Manager's Assistant I Dear Student: You would like to become a really efficient private secretary. You are ambitious and want to earn more money and do more responsible work (less mechanical drudgery). I doubt not your manager, if you are employed, sympathizes warmly with j'our desire, and is even more anxious than you are that you should be able to Co a higher grade of work than at present. It is therefore in his interests as well as yours that I shall write you a series of letters giving you practical suggestions on how you can make yourself more valuable. It is the business of a private secretary to do as large a part of the manager's work as possible, and to a large extent without being told. That means you must learn to be a regular little manager your- self. Girls are often timid and distrustful of their own powers. On that account they do not go ahead and do Ti lot of things the manager doesn't want done at all, as young men are sometimes inclined to do. But it is just as great a mistake for girls not to go ahead and co what the manager does want done. I want to teach' you to make a systematic study of what your manager wants done, understand his reasons for doing this, that, and the other, and get so that in time you will be able to do a great many things he now has to give his attention to. If his time is worth $o a day, and yours is worth $1 a day you readily see that everything you can do that he would otherwise have to do will save him and the house $4 a day. If you are going to be a "little manager" you must study the cus- tomers of your house and learn how it is possible to get business from them ; for your manager is worth his salary precisely because he knows how to serve those customers in such a way that they will pay the house money, and if you are going to take his place in writing original letters, you must know how to do that, too. There is no reason on earth why a girl should not make a rattling good correspondent, able to satisfy customers and sell goods just as well as a man — except that she usually thinks that is above her. It is not. Take hold of this part of my instruction and dig right into it. 184 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP I have summarized my work for managers in the enclosed sheet entitled "How You Can Write Letters and Advertisements That Will Pull." I call it my "System of Analysis." It gives you a bird's-eye view of all the essential elements you must know in order to write any letter that will really do business. I have used it myself to find out the selling points in some fifty different lines of business, with remark- able success, and it will be your sure guide to the things you must have for success in original letter writing. I consider this in some respects the most important paper I shall send you, and I want you to keep it always by your side as a check sheet to see whether you know what you are doing when you try to write a letter that is something more than a sort of stereotyped form. But there is an easy way for you to get a stock of well worded sentences and paragraphs which you can use in writing original letters that your manager will say are actually better than any he can dictate oiThand. The Form Paragraph Letter Writer is a scrap-book in which you can paste, in properly indexed places, copies of your manager's best sentences, paragraphs, and letters. All you need to co is to take an extra carbon copy of the letters you write for him, mark the para- graphs that might be used again, get him to correct and perfect them, and then copy them off on fresh paper and paste in the book. After a few weeks you will find these sentences and paragraphs will help you to write a great many letters yourself which otherwise it would be absolutely impossible for you to attempt. SYSTEM OF ANALYSIS. How You Can Write Letters and Advertisements That Will Pull. Before anyone can hope to write letters, circulars, or advertisements that will pull business it is necessary to have the following information : 1. What is your competition? I would not refer directly to your competitors in any letter I might write, but I must address a customer in whose mind are the arguments of your competitors. You must know what those arguments are, and go about saying that which will offset or counterbalance them in the mind of the customer. If you have to compete with lower prices, it is necessary to talk frankly on the subject of prices and point out in a commonsense way why your customer can't afford to take that which costs less and is correspondingly lower in quality, and why or how he will make more money in the end by paying a little more and getting something that is right. 2. Then you should consider what you have that nobody else in your territory has. You may say, Nothing. Unless you have something your customer can't get as conveniently from anybody else, you have no. OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 185 basis to ask for business. You may give better service, you may even give only a pleasanter manner and fairer treatment. You must find out what it is that makes one of your good customers give you his business in preference to giving it to the other fellow. The thing you have which nobody else really has (whether any- body else can get it or not is another matter) is what really makes a man buy from you, and which you ought to drive home hardest of all in your sales letter. 3. Talk is not enough, however, to get orders. Arguments must be supplemented by proof. You must consider how to prove your claims, and if you can make your claims in the testimonial words of other people, even if you can't quote their names, you have gained a splendid point. A bunch of conventional testimonials in small type are worth little, even if you can get them and use them at all. Get a testimonial that is really a splendid record of facts, the history of a case, and put it in facsimile form, and play it up in good type with a clear blackletter heading. Or reproduce checks or sales orders, or give records of sales, OR ANY FACTS THAT WILL TEND TO PROVE YOUR CLAIMS. Records of facts that will pass in a law court are what you want, not praise or any form of "hot air," either of your own, or from anybody else. 4. Ask a man to do something easy that he can reasonably do, and make it as easy for him to do it as you can. A return postal card carrying a trial order or a bit of information you ought to have is a good thing, and you should have a printed postal card form to use as often as possible. Don't forget to be VERY CLEAR AND SPECIFIC as to what you want done, and provide a convenient way. 5. Getting your facts right is much more important than the wording of your letter, and if you haven't the preceding four points, it doesn't matter much how well you word your letters. But if you have the basis right, consider the following points in connection with the wording. a. Have you covered every ix)int with absolute clearness, just as you would explain to a child? It is a mistake to assume that every business man knows this, that, or the other, 'and that it would be foolish to refer to such points. When a man is reading hastily he wants everything before him or else he is likely to overlook something, or it is not clear enough for instant perception. Don't compel him to figure out what is wanted. Let him see at a glance. b. Do you present your points in logical order as indicated in the following : 186 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 1. Creating desire. It is a great error to suppose that many people waut what you have to offer. Most business men assume that the desire exists and they have only to satisfy it. The really successful advertisers have perceived that desire must first be created, or fanned up. 2. Showing how your plan works. Most people depend on their own common sense. If the plan seems reasonable, they will trust their own judgment of it. You must therefore give them a chance to judge. 3. Proving your statements. The first question a possible buyer asks is, Is this your theory of what your scheme ought to do, or has somebody actually found your theory to be sound, your scheme suc- cessful? /f. Making a man feel like ordering. 5. Making ordering easy, safe, and quick. c. Do you strongly though briefly emphasize FACTS that will catch a man's attention at first glance and fix it, or do you emphasize more w^ords which he will not understand unless he reads your letter through? Capitals and underscores should be used to make three or four promi- nent facts stand out so they will catch attention at the very first glance. They take the place of blackletter heads in a circular, not emphasized words in conversation. d. Are your strongest points put in very short paragraphs (of two or three lines each)? e. Is your letter addressed to dealers or business men who demand a very short letter, or to farmers, women, etc., who have time to read a long letter, and want a long letter? In any case, don't be afraid to write a letter long enough to tell your whole story. f. Is your letter enthusiastic enough? Extreme energy of ex- pression is necessary to make a man feel like ordering, in most cases. Seldom does a tame letter do much good. g. No one will be able to write any pulling letter, circular, or advertisement without the information asked for in the first part of this analysis, but careful study of these points yourself will do you more good than any help of any advertising expert. You know your business better than any other person on earth, and it is you who can construct the best sales letter if you know how to go about it. If your business proposition is right, your list of names right, and your goods right, you win certainly succeed if you follow these principles. II INITIATIVE. Dear Student: If you want a better job it is an absolutely sure thing that you can get it, with a good increase in salary, if you will make yourself OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 187 worth more to your manager; aud I want to tell you just how you can do that. lu your office there is one typewriter, aud perhaps a great many. Nine chances out of ten there is something the matter with that type- writer, aud the manager is too busy to attend. to it. It may be dirtj' (perhaps you don't clean it thoroughly every day. perhaps the girl who runs it doesn't know how to clean it). The ribbon may be a poor brand so it makes the writing look smutty and blurred. The platen (or rubber roller) may be old and hard, and full of little holes (a new one costs only $1.50 and you should have a new one every six months — it will pay). First class work doesn't cost any more than third class if SOME- BODY MAKES A BUSINESS OF KEEPING THE EQUIPMENT UP TO THE TOP NOTCH. Are you going to be the somebody who will make it a business in a quiet, unobtrusive way to see that these things are done by simply going ahead and doing them? How many an office assistant says, "It is not my business to get these things. If the manager wants them, he can order them. I haven't any money to buy them." BUT THE YOUNG MAN OR YOUNG WOMAN WHO CALLS ATTENTION TO THEM, makes it his or her business to see that they are supplied, is in line for a better salary JUST AS SURE AS YOU ARE BORN. The manager says, "The person who thinks of those things has initiative, and that's just what I want." Your office can send out letters as haiidsome as any that are seen anywhere, and YOU ARE THE PERSON WHO CAN BRING IT ABOUT. The way to do it is just to suggest milcly. It doesn't do any good. Suggest mildly again. It doesn't do any good, I know, and nothing comes of it. Suggest mildly a third time, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth, a ninth. If you don't change your own mind by the tenth time you probably will find that the change is made. Now don't forget that perhaps your ideas are wrong. Ixmk out for that. Somebody objects. Just think carefully if the objection is good. Perhaps there is some little bit of a point about your plan which is not quite right and all the objection is to that little point. Change the little point and try again. If necessary, change a dozen times on account of the criticisms and objections you have to meet. Only in that way will you learn what is right, for nobody knows offhand exactly the best thing to do, and those who succeed, do so by learning from their failures and from their critics. BUT THEY KEEP RIGHT ON JUST THE SAME. That's what you want to do. 188 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP III SYSTEM FOR OFFICE STATIONERY. Dear Student: 111 almost every business oflace in the country the office supplies get out before anybody knows it, and then there is a double-quick scramble to get more, the printer is worried and rushed to death, and in general there is no end of trouble. A simple inventory sheet kept in the drawer of the office assistant, and attended to, would be worth its weight in gold. Rule up a sheet of paper, first dividing it into right half and left half by a line down the middle. Then rule each half with one space for the month, another space for the day of the month, another column about three-quarters of an inch wide headed "Received," another about the same width headed "Used," and a third the same heacled "Balance." Now see what the different kinds of printing, etc., are which you are using right along — "letterheads," "envelopes," "order cards," "second s' eets," "return envelopes." Make a heading on the sheet for each of these. You can allow about two inches below, so that in both columns of a letter sheet you would get eight or ten compartments, each headed by one of the live items of office supplies that can't be got at a moment's notice. Think carefully, for example, how many letterheads are used in a week or a month. Consider how long it usually takes to get a fresh supply printed. See how many are usually ordered at a time. This information will be necessary to help you keep your record. Now enter in the column "Received" the number of each there are on hand in the office at present. If everybody helps himself or herself to letterheads out of the pile, just leave one package of 500 open at a time, and simply tie up all the rest and put them somewhere so the person who wants some after the open package is gone will say in your hearing, "Aren't there any more letterheads?" Then you get out another bunch of 500 or whatever number you think best, and write the number in the column headed "Used," and in the column headed "Balance" what remains after subtracting these. Do the same with the envelopes and all the rest of the supplies. When you see that there is only enough of a supply in reserve to last say two weeks, just tell the manager that the "letterheads are out and he must order more right away." If he forgets it the first time, tell him again the next day, and keep on at him, just gently and easily, till he attends to the ordering or authorizes you to order. If you can get him to let you order, so much the better for you. In appendix "How to Systematize an Office" you will learn all OFFICE SALESMANSHir 189 about a groat many other sj'stems and how to introduce them at small exi)ense. IV FIRST STEP TOWARD SALESMANSHIP. Dear Student : In the first two steps of this course I have given you two little suggestions of a practical character which you can put into operation almost at once. They are mechanical and do not go far. I want to tell you how to write better letters. Start with this rule— "NEVER PIT DOWN IN A LETTER DICTATED TO YOU A SINGLE WORD YOi; DO NOT UNDERSTAND.' Before the word or phrase is copied on the tyiiewriter. find out what it means. Ask the manager if necessary. But don't put it down simply because that is what you thought he said. If it doesn't mal^e sense to you, you may be pretty sure it won't make sense to the person who receives it. Now, if you are a typewriter operator you are expected to put in the punctuation. You can't possibly do that unless you know what is meant in the letter. Adopt this one rule — NEVER USE A PUNCTUA- TION MARK UNLESS IT IS REQUIRED TO MAKE THE MEANING CLEARER. Learn what punctuation marks are for, what they mean, just as if they were little worcs. A colon means "as follows" or "equivalent to," but is seldom used in business letter writing. A dash means an abrupt transition. Commas are used to keep together words which belong in a group, and to separate one group of words from another so they won't get mixed together. That is just about all the comma is for, to keep one lot of words from getting mixed with another lot, and if you have that clearly in mind you will be pretty sure to use commas all right, whether you remember the rules or not. And I will tell you how to obey all the rules of grammar without remembering one of them — simply BE SURE YOU SAY ACCT'RATELY AND CLEARLY^ exactly what is meant. Any little confusion of thought, any doubtful little jumble of words, anything that seems incomplete, is probably an error of grammar, and the way to get rid of such errors is to think the meaning out and make it as plain as daylight to the person who is going to read the letter. But in order to make things clear to the customer who will read tbe letter you must know something about that customer. Take a good look every time any customer comes into the office. When you write just try to imagine him sitting beside you, and think that you are talking to him so he will understand quite clearly all about the thing he wants to know. 190 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP If you learu to know the customer of your particular house, so you cau tell him just what he wants to know, YOU HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION OF SALESMANSHIP— you are started on the road toward the biggest kind of salary. V. STUDY THE CUSTOMER. Dear Student:* Do you know why you are not trusted to answer correspondence? Why you are merely a machine for putting on paper what somebody else says? You think you can express yourself as well as anybody else, and very likely you can. But that isn't the point. YOU MUST KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER FEEL SATISFIED. Some one of them writes in and asks if he can have 60 days on his bill of goods, and you say, "You will find our terms on page 2 of our catalogue." Or he asks if you have a certain brand of prepared food, and you say "On pages IG and 17 of our catalogue you will find all the brands of food which we carry." Now suppose you say in answer to the first question, "Our terms are strictly 30 days net, and we have made it a rule not to make any exceptions. If we should make an exception in your case there would be a hundred others asking the same favor, and it wouldn't be fair to grant your request and not theirs. As far as you are concerned we should be only too glad to accommodate you in any way possible, but under the circumstances we don't think it would be fair to others to do it." In answer to the second question, it would be simpler to say, "No, we don't carry that particular brand ; but on pages IG and 17 of our catalogue you will find six other brands described and priced, and we sincerely hope you can make a selection from these." In the one case you vaguely tell what he wants to know, or don't really tell him at all ; and in the second place you hit the precise spot and he is satisfied even when you refuse his request or fail to supply what he wants. Customers like reasons, they like exact explanations, and if you would only take pains to find out just what they want to know and tell them that and nothing else, you would be at least a good cor- respondent to answer inquiries if not to write sales letters. It isn't "hot air" that makes a good letter writer, it is not a free flow of words and a mess of smooth talk. IT IS telling the customer JUST WHAT HE WANTS TO KNOW. Too often the corresiwnclent doesn't know just what the answer to the question is. so he makes a bluff at it and lets it go. The art of thinking things out so that you know you know all about it is the real secret of success as a cor- respondent. OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 191 Tell me. will you resolve right now to go systematically about formiug the habit of thinking things out clearly before you attempt to do tliemV Will you say to yourself. "No, I will not rush into this till I know what I am doing"? If you can tell a customer exactly what he wants to know, in an intelligent way, you can get along without fluency of language so it will make you wonder at yourself. VI FORM PARAGRAPHS. Dear Student : This lesson is especially intended for stenographers, but any other person can use the suggestions just as well — a bookkeeper, for instance, who is situated so as to be able to get extra carbon copies of letters dictated by the manager. In the course of a week or a month you will find the same points coming up over and over. Some letters are special, and perhaps all letters have something special in them ; but in one paragraph or another you will find these same points coming up over and over, Mark the carbon copy, and put together all the letters that refer to the same point. It will not take you more than fifteen minutes. Incicentally you may see a mistake here, a wrong comma there, a word misused, and with your pencil you will correct just that. This is awkwardly ex- jiressed, or that doesn't sound smooth. Make it right. Don't make a big job of it at one time. Perhaps you can do it on the car as you go home at night. It is your daily lesson. If any point suggests doubt, try to find out about it the next day by asking some one who knows. Now take all the different iiaragraphs that relate to a given point. If t'uese have been dictated from day to day you will find that some are much better than others. Sometimes the dictator covers this pha.se of the matter, and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he seems to hit it off happily, and then again he is vague and imperfect. What you are to do is to pick out his best paragraph, or make a paragraph by fitting together two or three, so you will have one paragraph covering the ix)int in the best possible style, or a series of paragraphs. When you get all this material together very likely you will see how you can improve on your boss. Don't be too sure about that. He knows his business or he wouldn't be a boss. He knows more than you do about the essentials of the business, or he wouldn't be paying you your salary. But IX LITTLE THINGS you may know more than he does, and if you give time and .study to the matter you ought to be able to make some improvements. 192 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP For example, he may have a stereotyped way of opening and closing letters. Instead of '•Your esteemed favor received and contents noted," begin letters at once with what you wish to say. Probably to open them in this way satisfactorily will require some practice. Then take up the closing forms of letters and practice oii those IN THE ACTUAL LETTERS BEFORE YOU. Then rewrite some entire letters, making a good opening and a good close, and using in the body some of the paragraphs you have carefully perfected out of the carbon copies of the letters of your boss. A little systematic work along this line every evening, on some real business letters, will do more to educate you to bi^ a correspondent than anything else I know. ^ VII FIRST STEPS IN ACTUAL LETTER WRITING. Dear Student : As soon as you feel you are pretty well prepared to answer letters, at least a few simple ones, try to get a chance to look over the pile of letters on your employer's desk. If he is accustomed to open the letters himself as they come in, just say, "Why don't you let me rip open the envelopes and smooth out the letters for you? It will save you a lot of time." But if you can't do that, notice the letters as they are dictated, and when you get an easy one, just remark, "I think I could answer a letter like that without dictating if you would give me a chance. When you come to another easy one, won't you give me a chance to try to answer it?" If you can see the pile of letters before they go to the dictator, just lay out such as you can answer and say to the dictator, "I have laid out a few letters I think I can answer without dictation, and I wish you would let me try." You'll probably get the chance. Don't be in a hurry. Wait for your opportunity. It is sure to come sooner or later if you are ready for it. When you have a paragraph carefully worked out in the words of the boss, you should always use that. But each letter may need something special, or a little change to make the paragraph just fit. Make just as few changes as possible, but always BE SURE THE LETTER BEFORE YOU IS FULLY ANSWERED, that the customer is told exactly what he wants to know, so that he will feel satisfied. When a letter is not right, NEVER LET IT GO. It is far better to say frankly you have been unable to answer that letter and give it back to the dictator. The habit of letting something not quite right go by because you haven't time just then to do any better and you hope it may OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 193 pass muster or wont be noticed, is about the worst one I can imagine. You'll never learn to be a good letter writer if you do that. MAKING EVERY LETTER JUST RIGHT is the one sure way of getting to the top. A bookkeeper can follow out this plan just as well as a stenog- rapher. The stenographer who handles the work can be asked to make an extra carbon and will usually do it without saying anything about it. Often the bookkeeper has a better chance to see the original letters as they are received before they are answered at all. Any clerk who is anywhere near the letters, or has anything to do with them, can almost always get his or her chance by a little patient tact. But there is no use jumping in and trying to answer letters before you are ready to do so. Getting the carbon copies and studying them for some weeks before any attempt is made actually to answer letters is the indispensable method of beginning. vni SALESMANSHIP IN LETTER WRITING. Dear Student: If you get so you can tell a customer just what he wants to know, just what he asks about, fully and accurately, and by taking plenty of time at home you are able to state the facts smoothly, simply, and clearly, you have a pretty good start. TAKING PLENTY OF TIME TO DO IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY ANYTHING YOU ATTEMPT TO DO is the main thing. Hurry is the greatest enemy of good corre- spondence the world has ever known. If you get a collection of para- graphs carefully worked up which cover the things that are mere repe- titions, gi-adually you will build up a system that will enable you to answer any number of letters without any hurry whatever. But now you come to the next step — ^putting salesman.ship into your letters. How can you get an indifferent customer interested? This customer, is either unaware that he needs or wants anything like what your house has to sell and you must excite his desire by picturing vividly what good the thing will do him, or he is using some competitive article which satisfies him and he doesn't want to bother with your article. The latter case is the commoner one, and the one you always should study first. Y^ou probably give the stock arguments. "We have the best article on the market." But that's what they all say. The maker of the article the customer already is using says his is "the best.'' Since they are all "best," one "best" is as good as another. What the customer wants to know is how your goods are different from what the other fellows have. It may be only a small point, but if 194 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP there is a difference, lie will pay atteutiou to it. He also pays attention to what some outside party says who has become enthusiastic. You say the article is the "best ' and he doesn't believe you. An outsider may say the same thing and it seems very different. But usually the outsider doesn't put it in exactly that way. He gives some special reason why he likes it. You in the office will find it very difficult to know what the com- petitors are saying ant^ doing. But it will pay you to flud out and there are two ways in which you can do that. You can ask a salesman connected with the house, or the manager, and very likely he will explain to you just what competition the house has to meet, who the competitors are, and what the facts are as to the merits of their goods. Another way is to get a list of the names and addresses of the principal competitors, and then write to them from your home address making inquiry as if you were going to buy, and getting their catalogues, circulars, etc. By reading these you can find out to some extent what their strong arguments are and how they compare with those used by your house. IX PUTTING SALES ARGUMENTS INTO LETTERS. Dear Student: From the last lesson you will see that in order to put selling arguments into letters you must know something about the business from the point of view of the business manager. When you go into a new office you naturally know nothing about the business, nor how it is that orders are obtained ; but before you have been there many months you ought to begin to observe what the sales arguments are which pull in orders. Here is a good chance for a new set of form paragraphs — the paragraphs giving the standard sales arguments depended on by the house to get business. You will find these in the letters of the manager, no doubt, and from a collection of carbon copies of his letters, together with the little stucy of the competition I have spoken of in the last letter, yon will be able to work out a set of sales paragraphs for yourself. Remember that the first strong sales argument is a clear, enthusiastic explanation of what your house has that nobody else on earth can offer — the thing that is different from what anybody else has. Then the second lies in the enthusiastic things a pleased customer says. "When a man gets enthusiastic over a thing and speaks about it, he generally uses language that is quite different from what you would use; there is something spontaneous about it, something con- vincing about it. OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 195 « Enthusiastic letters like this are coming in to every business office where a really successful business is done. They usually get put in the files, and there they are buried forever. One of the things you as an office assistant ought to do is to keep your eye pealed for any enthusiastic remark of that kind, and when you get such a remark, just copy off on the typewriter the sentence or paragraph that is general and can be quoted nicely. Leave out every- thing that wouldn't interest another customer. Get only the part that really says something fresh and stimulating. Perhaps your firm objects to quoting what customers say, as some people do not like to have their letters used as testimonials. In that case, still use the quotation but without the name and address. Say, "A big Western manufacturer wrote us only the other day," or something like that. If advisable, tell as well as you can what kind of customer it was that made the remark, for the more important the customer the more weight the testimonial has. IT IS UP TO YOU ABOVE ALL OTHERS TO CAPTURE THOSE ARGUMENTS ON THE WING AND SAVE THEM. EMPHASIS IN BUSINESS WRITING. Dear Student : There is a very important technical point in connection with busi- ness writing as contrasted with business talking which every person in the business world ought clearly to understand, yet which almost no one does understand. That is emphasis. In talking we emphasize adjectives, saying "This is VERY good," It is the BEST on the market," etc. In business writing emphasis must serve quite a different object. When you have buttonholed a man he has to listen to what you have to say. but letters, circulars, and advertisements are always read more or less hastily. The IMPORTANT FACTS should therefore stand out so that they will be caught by the person who only glances. In an advertisement the important facts are, or should be, put into headlines, in large strong type. Every headline ought to make an important FACT stand right out on the page, not some meaningless phrase or catchword, for the fact will be appreciated by itself, even by those who give the most casual glance, and the mere word or phrase will not be understood unless the whole is read. In a circular the blackletter headlines over the successive sections or paragraphs should give a series of facts which taken by themselves will tell the whole story and especially the IMPORTANT FACTS that ought to stand out. The headlines read alone, by a person glancing over them, ought to make complete sense even if the text is not read. 196 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP In letter writing the important facts should be emphasized by underscoring, by capital letters, or by being put in very short i»aragraphs by themselves. Never underscore a mere word that taken by itself will make no sense; never capitalize a word or phrase that is merely a link in the argument ; never put into a separate paragraph a sentence or a part of a sentence that does not state some solid fact (displaying thus what are thought to be clever phrases is the bane of young writers). In How to Do Business by Letter you will find an excellent use of capitals and line display in letter No. lOi), page 12(5, and in letter No. 117, page 137. The paragraph display is well shown in letter No. 9G, page lOS, and in letter No. 107, page 125. In a letter a short paragraph is a particularly good means of emphasizing, and paragraphs may be mace of phrases and parts of sentences as well as whole sentences. Young writers often fail to emphasize at all, merely stating facts in ordinary language, in ordinary i)aragraplis, ignorant of the fact that UNLESS A POINT IS DRIVEN HOME HARD it probably will not be appreciated. XI HOW TO GET ORDERS IN ANY BUSINESS. Dear Student: A "pulling" letter is a talk on paper to get an order. It must be short enough to be read. It must be long enough to convince. First of all, you must know just what will hit the customer in the eye — what facts will strike home to his heart. This you can find out only by experiment — by talking to customers, by writing to customers along this line and along that line, till you find out what they want. Just keep hammering away until you know what the points are that make a customer give up an .order. Work and work to find the phrases that will make the heart tingle. When I discovered the phrase "How to Write Letters that Pull" I had put $5,000 in my pocket. The Lehigh Valley Railroad paid $1,000 in cash for the name "Black Diamond Express" for their through train to New York. The word "Uneeda" as applied to biscuit put the National Biscuit Company on Easy street. In my System of Analysis you will read what the logical arrange- ment of a sales letter should be. Unless you follow that order you are sure to get off the road and find yourself upset in the ditch. Then there are two other considerations, (1) you must get your letter read, which usually demands a short letter, and (2) you must OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 197 produce convictiou that will result in an order, and that means a long letter. How are j'ou going to put a long letter into a short one? The short letter may be read by many, but none will buy. The few who read the long letter may buy, but not enough will read it. The solution is not writing short letters, but getting long letters read — that is, letters that are long enough, but never longer than just enough. The secret is the emphasis indicated in the preceding lesson. Begin with a phrase or sentence that is sure to get the interest of the reacler because it refers to something he already knows or has been thinking about. No man will ever bite at an idea that is new to him. It takes time for new ideas to sink in. But if you can find an idea he has already thought out himself to the point where he wants something, you catch him on his weak side. If starting with that point you follow the logical plan already stated, MAKING ONE FACT UNDER EACH HEAD STAND OUT xSTliONG by some one of the three different kinds of emphasis, so that the eye of the hurried reader will get those emphasized points as he glances down the page, you have secured the whole effect of the shortest possible letter, and still can go on and write a long one such as may be needed to close the order. XII LEARNING TO WRITE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LETTERS. Dear Student : It is a curious fact that most letter writers fall into a habit of writing all their letters about so long. One person is just as brief as he possibly can be. Seldom does he write a letter more than ten lines long. Another never writes a letter under thirty lines. A few manage all too often to fill up one page solid and slop over on to a second. The real art of letter writing lies in knowing what kind of letter each case demands. Will a two-line letter satisfy the person who receives it? For heaven's sake, do not write more than two lines. But if a two-page letter is wanted by the person you write to, it is your business to be patient enough to write the two pages so he will know all he wants to know, or ought to know. If you have the bad habit of being wordy, just break it. If you have the bad habit of being snappy, vague, and too brief, BREAK IT. In all letters, short paragraphs and short sentences are a good thing. They are "business English." A page letter with only one paragraph and two or throe sentences is an atrocity. Yet making every sentence a ]iaragraith is ridiculous. Some very short paragraphs, and some fairly long make the best combination, usually. 198 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP When you know you have a possible customer's attention and in- terest, it is foolish to use the devices of brevity or emphasis which are intended merely to get that interest. Where they might please the man who had not thought about the subject before, and lead him into an interest, they would only annoy the man who had an interest and wanted something more detailed. If a man is paying no attention you "holler" at him; if he is listening he likes to have your voice just as low and soft as possible. Capital letters and underscores are tji^o- graphical screams ; and while in a turbulent uproar you must scream if you want attention, nothing is more repulsive than the habit of talking loud or writing loud all the time. Learn to modulate your voice, learn to modulate your style, just so you reach the spot but no more. Often in school boys talk in a big harsh voice, and girls talk in a low, timid voice. So in letter writing, boys are likely to be coarse and a little rough, and girls altogether too quiet. Girls answer inquiries nicely if they think far enough to cover all the points ; and boys or men write the best sales letters, in which artful screaming is demanded. But why shouldn't each learn both arts, and learn to talk and write in loud voices or low voices as occasion demands? It is merely a matter of training. XIII CULTIVATING BUSINESS IMAGINATION. Dear Student : You will never become a good business letter writer unless you can actually see the person to whom you write, sitting by your desk, so that you write as you would talk face to face. I have spoken a great deal about knowing the customer. Nothing will help so much as the habit of visualizing him, so that you really do see him (with your eyes shut if not with t:bem open), so that you feel his presence. There is no doubt that most young people like you lack this faculty of imagination. There is also no doubt that you can cultivate it if you will make a systematic effort. In the schools imagination is supposed to be figuring out all about something you don't actually know anything about. I call that guessing. If there is anything that is condemnable in business, it is the habit of guessing. IN BT^SINESS YOTT MT^ST KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING or you are a failure. Absolute knowledge is needed nowhere else so much as it is in business, and especially in writing letters, ad- vertisements, etc. The reason why so much matter sent out fails is that it is based on guesswork and not on knowledge. OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 199 The business imagination I speak of is just tlie opposite of the habit of guessing. It is learning to know jour man so well that you can actually see him, even when he isn't there. But you will probably see better with your eyes closed than with them open. The person with a good imagination sees all right with his eyes shut. When you begin to get this imagination developed, you will begin to write letters as if you were talking to a man in a confidential tone. You get personal. You speak to him as "you" and refer to yourself as "I" or "we." You begin to feel that confidential talky tone. You do not put a lot of "scenery" into them, because if you can see your man you know he doesn't care for that. You give him what he wants, not what you figure out theoretically is a good line of letter talk for him. There is a great ceal in being able to put a helpful personal tone into a letter. You can't do it unless you would naturally be helpful to the real person. Girls, especially, like to be coldly impersonal in their business letters; but that is a mistake, and once they set out to be personal they sometimes go to extremes and become offensively familiar. XIV EXTHUSIAM— GREATEST OF ALL SALESMEN. Dear Student: Cultivating the imagination is the first step toward cultivating the greatest of all letter writing qualities, enthusiasim; because no one can be enthusiastic toward some one he never saw and can't even imagine. But when he sees the man. likes him. and knows exactly what he ought to do, there is a fair chance that enthusiasm will grow till it amounts to something. The ordinary letter writer, especially the employee, deals with cus- tomers on the basis of a machine — he hands out the facts and leaves them to be taken or not taken as the customer is inclined. But the ordinary man doesn't know what he wants. He half likes this, he half likes that, but he hasn't the money to buy them all. Which does he buy? Why, the one about which somebody makes him enthusiastic. I believe there is a great deal more in working the customer up to buy something in your line than to buy your particular product. If you are the person to get him into the buying mood, you are pretty sure to have his trade. Getting a man up to the buying point is a very personal sort of rndertaking. You've got to talk to him like a Dutch uncle. You must make him feel what he is losing, you must fire his imagination for what he might have, you must count all his profits for him penny by penny, you must tell him glowing stories of what others have done. 200 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP If you are a cold-blooded sort of a person yourself, it will not be easy to write enthusiastic letters. Yet many and many a person can write an enthusiastic letter who wouldn't have the courage to make an en- thusiastic talk. And enthusiasm can certainly be cultivated just like imagination. To be enthusiastic in a letter, you must work yourself up to feeling enthusiastic within your own heart. You must select something you really believe in. You must borrow the words of enthusiasm of others who have used the goods and made a success with them. Talk with the outside salesmen who are getting good business, talk with concerns that use the goods and try to find out why they like them. Go systematically about collecting the enthusiasm of every one who has anything to do with these goods, and then squeeze it and make it boil within yourself till you feel as if you could turn the world upside down. When you get into that mood, just let yourself go in your letters. XV HANDLING DIFFERENT BUSINESSES. Dear Student : I have outlined to you the general principles of writing pulling letters which will really get business. I now want to give you some special suggestions as to special kinds of business. Every business is clififerent from every other business; but certain things are always the same. You must appeal to human nature and that is pretty much the same in all businesses. If you learn to handle human nature in one business so you can make a success of it, you can be pretty sure to handle it successfully in any business. Of course there are several classes of customers; but in my book on advertis- ing I have pretty fully illustrated the ways of appealing to these different classes, such as dealers, retail cutomers, women. These dif- ferences in customers I wish to emphasize in this and the next few personal letters I shall send you. You should have clearly in mind the best methods of appealing to these large general classes, so the differ- ences will be very clear in your mind. These great classes are (1) retail customers, (2) dealers, and (3) specialty buyers. Retail customers are nearly always local, so they can go to the store and see what they are going to buy. All letters and advertisements for this class should be aimed at MAKING THEM COME, and alwaj's they should be told, "Come to the store ! Come to the store !" It helps a great deal to have something that excites curiosity — a sensational bar- gain, some spectacle such as a great painting, a model of a steamship, OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 201 a copy of the gown the Czarhia of Russia wore, or what not. If your letters or advertising get them to come to the store, your responsibility ceases and the retail clerks are expected to sell them. Customers will often buy a great many things not advertised at all, simply because when they are once in the store and see something they want, they will buy it. So it pays to advertise bargains on which there is no profit at all, just to get the customers to come in, depending on them to buy enough regular goods on which there is a profit to make it pay. Dealers, who are sought by wholesalers and manufacturers, are entirely different. They seldom or never come to you ; but you must go to them. Everything must be very short, very sharp, and very clear.. The specialty buyer — who buys a set of books, or takes a course in a school, or buys some land, or some stock or bonds — usually has to be picked out by some kind of magazine or newspaper advertising, and once these names are obtained as prospects they must be followed up by agents' letters and circulars. XVI HOW TO HANDLE DEALERS. Dear Student: The average wholesaler or manufacturer gets out a big general catalogue showing pictures of his goods and prices, with such technical description as the dealer needs to know. He sends that out once or twice a year, and gets his orders from personal calls. As his circulars and letters don't get many orcTers, he depends on them very little. Here is a place where the fine art of writing letters that pull comes in, and the person who learns that art and begins to develop orders from letters sent out from the office is sure to be appreciated, for it usually happens that if you find out how to get orders by letter, you get them at far less cost. You depend on getting one good order from a hundred letters where the traveling man expects to get one good order from two or three calls — that is, you have to send out letters by the thousand to start up inquiries ; but conscious art applied to answering the inquiries that come in day by day will undoubtedly close up a much larger pro- portion of business from those letters. So the first thing to do is to answer the current inquiries with something like salesmanship so as to get more orders from them. If you learn how to do that you have the basis for starting some work on circular letters sent out by the thousand. Now in handling correspondence in a wholesale or manufacturing business, the first difficulty you have to face is that a long line is being sold with hundreds of items, and you can't talk about all of those items at one time. 202 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP As in retail advertising you pick out certain bargains to attract customers, so in a wliolesale line you liave to put all your salesmanship upon single specialties, depending on the fact that if a dealer will buy the specialty, he will probably become interested in the line even though you say nothing about it. You kill the force of your talk just the moment you begin to harp on generalities instead of special things. Those things may be very slight and comparatively unimportant, but they should be something others do not have in just the form you offer. The only difference between letters sent out to educate dealers on the talking points of your business and those sent out to get actual mail orders, is that in mail order letters you ask for specific orders, and ask hard, if possible offering some slight premium to a new dealer to send a certain trial order within a week or ten days. Letters to new dealers should be very sharp and strong; while letters to old customers should be long enough to explain fully what you have. Both kinds of letters should be accompanied by a circular which tells your sales story fully in all details, so that the man who has become interested by the letter will have the circular at hand to tell him all about your offering. XVII MAIL ORDER OR SPECIALTY ADVERTISING. Dear Student : The third kind of advertising applies to selling some one thing, like a set of books, or a course in a school, or a town lot, or a farm, where you first get an inquiry from some one who is interested, and then follow up to close an order. The first step is to get the inquiries. This may be done by a small advertisement in a magazine, if inquiries are desired from all over the country, or by distributing a circular from house to house if local in- quiries are wanted, as for buying a city lot. The classified columns of newspapers may also be used; but usually the circulars delivered from office to office or house to house will get more results. Once you get the names, the principal thing is to make everything clear, and convince by offering proof. Good circular matter, that is full and explicit, is very necessary to close orders ; and proof of some kind is almost equally necessary. Then there must be an easy method of ordering — an order card ready to bo signed. There is first of all a catalogue or circular with a long form letter sent out to all inquiries, and usually from five to ten follow-up letters. If you want to prove your ability, perhaps the first thing to do is to watch the returns from the different follow-up letters. It will usually be found that certain letters in any secies bring few if any returns — OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 203 in fact, are just as well dropped out of the series, but have been kept in because uo one looked into the matter closely enough to see the fact that they did not pull. The next thing to do is to take up the inquiries individually and ask some straight personal questions of the prospect which will make him tell you something of his situation and views. The way to sell anybody is to find out what his ideas are, and then show him how your product fits into those ideas of his. This clear, full, honest explanation, with a good touch of enthusiasm, will sell many, many high-priced sets of books, or school courses, or farms, or whatever it may be. And it is the best possible education toward preparing some form letters which will be winners. This is the most difficult kind of mail order salesmanship, a kind in which you must be quite an expert to get any results at all worth men- tioning. But it offers a splendid training for all other kinds of adver- tising of whatever nature, and also for personal salesmanship. XVIII HANDLING GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. Dear Student: I want to talk to j'ou a little in this letter upon the subject of the importance of understanding office salesmanship in order to handle all other kinds of correspondence. Office salesmanship requires a much more careful knowledge of your customers than anything else I know, and if you go into the selling end a little you will find out so many things about your customers thai you will understand far better how to collect backward accounts for example, how to adjust claims, how to answer inquiries, how to give directions to salesmen, etc., etc. A bad account may not be paid because the customer does not have the money, or it may be because he is sore at the firm on account of the waj' he has been handled in a sale. Now if you know how he was sold, you can follow the process along till you find out what is the matter with him, and your problem is to start in and re-sell him so as to straighten out his mental knot. The same reasoning applies to an adjustment. Also it applies to a simple, clear explanation; for every man knows certain things, and other things he wants to know, and unless you study as a salesman must study, you never have a clear idea of what the customer knows and what he does not know, and without that knowledge you cannot explain to him so he will clearly understand it. A clear explanation is one of the most important things in advertising, and it is the one fundamental requirement in railroad cor- 204 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP respondence, for example. The superior must ejiplain an order (when he writes a bulletin) so more or less ignorant brakemen or firemen or laborers will understand it at a glance and do correctly the thing that is wanted. Only the trained office salesman usually has had much training on this extremely clear and well emphasized stating of facts. The great difficulty in correspondence in general is that you do not know the attitude of mind of the person you write to, you do not know what he knows, what train of thought he is following, and therefore what you should say to touch him in exactly the right spot. Salesmanship is a study of the customer and also a study of ways to make him respond. It offers a regular system for studying the customer and the practical effect of words upon him, and there is no other system in existence which has been developed anywhere nearly as fully for studying the customer and the effect of words with reference to these other phases of business correspondence. XIX SELLING YOUR OWN SERVICES. Dear Student: The principles of office salesmanship apply equally well to many special forms of business which do not seem to involve selling anything, as for example a doctor's profession, the business of a commission mer- chant whose desire is not to sell but to get consignments that he may sell, etc. As a matter of fact, both the doctor and the commission merchant really have for sale, not merchandise of course, but services. The doctor is hampered by the code of medical ethics, so called, which prohibits direct advertising; but for all that he will never have any business unless he goes systematically about getting it through some form of publicity, and he needs an even more complete knowledge of the principles of salesmanship so that he may build up his business without trampling on the code. And the income of the commission merchant depends precisely on getting people to let him have their products to sell at the established market price. These things they get according to their ability to show the effectiveness of their services. The principles of office salesmanship are applicable directly to the work of finding a job. Just try to analyze yourself, supposing you want a job. What qualities have you that others in your field do not have? Suppose you are a stenographer and a bookkeo]^or and have taken this course in office salesmanship. As against a mere stenographer, you have two immediately apparent advantages, you know bookkeeping and office OFFICE SALESMANSHIP 205 salesmanship. But suppose the other person, your competitor, whoever he or she may be, has the same points to claim. Go carefully over your ability in each of these three lines. As a stenographer, can jou si)ell particularly well? Are you neater in handling the typewriter? Are you more speedy? Have jou more independence and initiative? You can ask similar questions in regard to each of your other branches. Having found out what you have that others do not have, you look around to see how you can prove your claims. You get testimonials. You go to your friends and ask them what thej' think of your ability on this point, or on that, whatever you want to prove. You don't just ask them for a testimonial : you set out to collect proof upon just the lK)ints you wish to demonstrate. Finally you try to impress your personality by making the pros- pective employer feel like wanting you. It is usually the clever salesman who gets the best jobs most quickly. XX A FINAL WORD. Dear Student: We have now come to the final lesson in this course, and I sin- cerel;^ hope it has been of real value to you; but it may be of interest if I try to tell you just how I have attempted to teach you, and what you may suppose has been the result. A very few are exceedingly industrious, and those have no doubt prepared all the lessons assigned. In doing so they have got the ad- vantage of personal practice which otherwise they have missed. It is not too late to begin right now to do the work and get automatically the good that will result. But the majority work hard all day, come home at night tired out, and lack the direct stimulus to do formal lesson work such as they were compelled to do in school. There is a \^ide difference between being driven in a school, and working for your own education. But this course has been a complete success for many who have never prepared any lessons at all. I'nlike most residence schools, this personal-appeal method works on the principle of drawing out, not of compelling. I have been trying to plant live germs of ideas week by week all over your mind. Those little seeds need only the warm sun of favorable conditions to grow and bear fruit. Possibly conditions have not been favorable, and those seeds still lie dormant. But they are not dead, though apparently forgotten. Just the minute you get a job where salesmanship is required, you will find it like a shower of warm rain and a flood of sunshine on the sown field of your mind, 206 OFFICE SALESMANSHIP and the germs of ideas I have been planting from week to week will grow and flourish marvelously. I have proved that over and over again. My most successful students have often taken but two or three personal lessons. Personally, I believe that all education would be a hundred times more effective if it were planned on the principle of drawing out through the stimulus of interest. Everything a child learns in an ordinary school in a year could be taught just as well in three months if this stimu- lating method were used instead of the slave-driving method. We re- member what interests us, but persistently forget what we learn as a duty or under compulsion. Five lessons have completely transformed the letter style of many a business man, where a course of one hundred lessons in a school has failed to show any effect. The one thing I care about for results in your case is whether you have faith in me. If you have, you have already got many times the money cost of this course. LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 207 APPENDIX D— PART 1 The Simple Foundation Principles of Looseleaf and Card Systems (Copyright 19(9, by Sberwin Cody) Prefatory. It is a curious fact that no book on looseleaf or card systems is available — at least a book on the general fundamental principles; nor have 1 been able to discover a nia.^azine article covering these principles. Everything in existence consists of individual studies of systems for in- dividual businesses, and the mass of these is so enormous that the ordinary man is bewildered when he sets out to devise a system for himself. The chief source of information on looseleaf and card systems is the sales force of the cabinet companies, which want to sell every man as high-priced an outfit as possible, whether it serves his purpose best or not. I wanted a simple looseleaf system for a special branch of my business, and one of the leading looseleaf companies showed me the simplest outfit they had. cost $17. The price seemed to me high for what I got, but the whole thii:g was so cumbersome I could not use it any way. I was able to buy a leather-covered looseleaf binder with guides for $1.05, and in place of the 3x5% leaves (bond paper) costing 20c a hundred, I got 3x5 slips of bond paper, had them punched at the back, total cost COc a thousand, and was able to file these in my card drawers when they were taken out of the looseleaf binder as dead. This pamphlet is accompanied by a box of sample cards showing eighteen actual systems, which I have selected as types of all systems under the title of "Compendium of All Card Systems." and in the fol- lowing pages I shall briefly state the leading principles, which every man should have clearly in mind in installing any looseleaf or card system if he wishes to get MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY of operation, and at the same time I show the reader how and where to iTot liis systems at a minimum of cost. The card forms are also reproduced herewith, and will be found to have form numbers corresiK»nding to the numbers of the successive sec- tions in this appendix. SHERWIN CODY. 208 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 1. Mailing Lists. It was thought for a time that mailing lists were best written out ou cards, aud ditferent-colored cards were used to distinguish different classes of names that might be in the same list. Experience has shown that a looseleaf book of ordinary letter size, thirty lines to the page besides heading, two lines for each address, is the best for several reasons : 1. It economizes space and weight. A large list on cards takes considerable room, and is cumbersome to carry about. This is partic- ularly so when the list has to be shipped out of town. 2. It costs less to write a list on sheets than on cards. 3. It costs less to address a list from sheets, since there are fifteen addresses on each page, all of which can be addressed before the leaf is turned. But there is a still more important reason. At the right-hand side are to be found narrow columns for classifications of the names. There are three columns for ratings. There are various columns for different kinds of bu.siness. The classification must be made by each man for his own particular needs, with the view that his circularizing will be far more effective if he address a definite class, with a definite talk direct to that class, instead of sending a general talk to a general list. For ex- ample, in the furniture business, one line of talk applies to cities, another to small towns ; one to dealers rated high, another to dealers rated low, still another to dealers with medium ratings. And so on. Each man must study that out for himself. 4. If a check mark is placed in the proper column opposite the name, the classification will cost little or nothing in the making of the list, while any one class can be picked out and addressed by itself with practically as great speed as if the other names were not in the list at all. The addresser fixes his eye on a certain column and looks only for the checkmark, catching it almost at a glance, and never so much as looking at the other names. Thus one large list may contain six or seven lists, the large lists cost much less to make, the inconvenience of having many lists is avoided, and yet each separate division of the large list can be handled just as conveniently as if it were a list by itself. 5. Only two address lines are required even when street addresses in cities are to be added, for in that case the name of the city is written at the top of the sheet, since there will always be a large number of addresses from a single city. Street addresses are usually inserted in cities of 100,000 and over. If this is not done, the postoffice is likely to refuse to deliver third-class mail. No trouble is likely to be ex- LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 209 cmr rOKM 1 STATE fl ^iin£:0 t» Pop. O.P. Ptg. Oept. Gro. Misc. 5 20 NAME ADDRESS 1 MAMC ADDRESS 2 NAME ADDRESS 3 NAME ADDRESS 4 NAME ADDRESS 8 NAME ADDRESS .8 NAME AOORCS* 7 NAME ADDRESS a NAME AODRCSS 9 NAME ADDRESS 10 NAME ADDRESS 11 NAME ADDRESS 12 NAME . ADDRESS 13 NAME ADDRESS 14 NAME •e Form 1 210 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEAl perienced in smaller cities if street addresses are not given. See Form 1. Binders for lists are easily made of ordinary binders' board or press board. The back cover is stiff. The front cover has a hinge % inch from the back, made simply by cutting the board from top to bottom and gluing a strip of cloth to the back and to the front. Holes are then punched % inch from the back, corresponding to the holes punched in the printed paper address forms, and a shoe string used. If tele- scopic eyelets such as I have in my Form Paragraph Letter Writer are used, the shoe string will be as convenient as the stationary rings, which take up a good deal of room and prevent books from lying flat. 2. Following Up Prospects. For following up prospects, a card system is best. A common form of card for this purpose is shown on this page. It illustrates, however, the useless complication toward which systematizers and business men tend, for I have found little or no occasion for checking into a card of this sort either "Replies" or any considerable number of orders. Once a letter is received the follow-up should be so radically changed that 13 3 4 NAME 6 e ) e 10 U 12 13 14 IS IS 11 18 U 20 a 23 BUSINESS 23 2t2S2«n2S29at>2l file no TOWN R. R EXP RAIiNG SOUItCE MAILED REPLIED ORDERS llItRATURE LtTTERS SPECIAL DATE REMARKS DATE NO. , AMOUNT MEMO. ^^^-^ ^,^,^'^^ ^,„^'^^ ^^."'^ ^^^--^ _^„-^^ ^.--^^ ^^^^^^ ^^,^-^^ ^.-^-^ ^.^-^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^--^^ ^^^^^ WPeRlAL METHOOS-rORM it is better to write a distinct card, and of course stop the regular follow-up. A much simpler and better form is Form 2, which gives space to indicate what special lines the prospect ought to be interested in if the follow-up is to be specialized, and sufficient lines and spaces for entering the numbers of successive circulars and follow-up letters, with another line for unusual notations. LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 211 3. Guides for Follow-Up. If cards like No. 2 are used, the cards may be arranged with a reguh\r alphabetical iudex, and the dates for follow-up letters indicated by clips at the top. If there are many cards, this is the best way, for any card can be found instantly when a reply or order c-omes in. A good way, however, is to allow prospects to accumulate for one or two weeks, when the same letter is sent to a bunch called "1st Follow-up." This can be written on blank guide cards. When this letter is written the cards are simply moved forward to the next space labeled "2nd Follow-up," and so on. This saves making entries on the cards. Each bunch of cards can be arranged in alphabetical order, but if a reply comes in it will be necessary to look in several different places to find the card if the clerk cannot remember in which bunch the name is to be found. This system is useful chiefly when the clerk is able to remember practically all the cards, so he knows in what bunch to look, or more especially when the follow-up is purely educational and no re- plies are expected. The ordinary alphabetical guides can be bought in the market at small expense, but if special guides are required, blanks can be bought and the index name written in the projecting space at the top. The Sample File shows special guides simply cut away on an ordinary paper cutter by the printer who prints them. The long guides running across the box are square-cut cards with the upper corners rounded on a regular round-cornering machine. The special dies which leave talis at the top are expensive, and as the regular card index people have practically a monopoly of this die-cutting machinery, the ordinary printer finds it hard to get up guides except by using one of the systems indicated. Form 2 has the days of the months printed across the top and a good way of indicating the day on which a follow-up letter should be sent is to place a steel signal over the date. The relative position of this can be guessed within a day or two from a mere glance at the fil«. The clip comes in five colors. Another good way is to use a file of months and days of the month. If the signal does not answer sufficiently for the days, number guides from 1 to 31 can be used. 4. Customers — Looseleaf and Card Ledgers. On a cash-in-advance mail order proposition, if an order is received with cash and that is the end of it, the prospect card is simply transferred to a permanent file of customers, with alphabetical guides. Only a cashbook is required, and that is best as a bound book. 212 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 IS 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 is 26 27 » 29 30 31 State Ind, Town P<^yftQf. mil Name GlobQ Department Store Rating 02 Address q/q MT > CaSWell Prospect for Underwear line Source T.ftt tpr 1?.9 Printed matter /3- 33# 33 4 5 6 7 8 Form letters / Z 3 y Remarks Ask Mr > Jolinao n to call next trip Form 2 Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cod) Name No. Address Disc. Rating Limit Notes Disc, bills Bus. last year-No. orders Total $ Date Item Charges v/ Credits Balance — Form 4 ( :oAi yri Sh 1 J 909, by S hei wi nC od\ LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 213 No convenience is served by using a looseleaf or card system for a cash account. In a credit business, where the customers are expected to be permanent and continuous, the list of customers is best kept in connec- tion with the ledger, which should be on cards or in a looseleaf book. A suitable size for the ledger cards should be selected, according to the entries to be made, the number of entries, etc., etc. Ledger cards bx5 are seldom used except when accounts are not at all active. The size 5x8, on end, both sides of the card used (turned end for end), is standard and usual. As it may be desirable to circularize customers from time to time from the ledger list, while there is objection to letting the ledger itself go out of the hands of the bookkeeper, it is desirable to have the pros- pect card or any simple address card dropped in behind the ledger card. If an account is closed and the bookkeeper desires to have a form letter sent to the customer to stir him up, he simply places a small steel clip on the top of the ledger card, and a boy goes over the list and takes out the address cards, placing them in a small card tray for the purpose, and they are addressed, then redistributed behind the ledger cards. This is easier than writing off the names on a sheet of paper each time. The ledger card should show on its face a full history of the cus- tomer, including his rating, credit, limit of credit, past history, etc. This information is often kept in a separate place, and a great deal of time is spent in looking up, often five minutes to a half hour, whereas if it were on the ledger card as shown in Form 4, a few seconds would suffice. A liberal use of carbon copies greatly reduces the amount of work to be done in handling orders and keeping accounts. An excellent sys- tem is to have a machine register holding three rolls of paper, properly printed, with carbon paper held firmly between. When an orcer is re- ceived, the invoice to be sent to the customer is immediately written out in triplicate. Shipping directions are written on a perforated slip at the side or bottom. One carbon copy is sent to the shipping-room, the other is sent to the bookkeeper, and the original is held to be sent to the customer when the shipping carbon has been returned. The date is put on with a dater and the invoice mailed to the customer. The carbon copy sent back from the shipping-room is also dated and is sent to the bookkeeping department, where it is checked with the other carbon copy sent up when the orCer was entered, and both can be placed in the ledger card file just back of the ledger card. The total is entered on the ledger card. If anyone wants to know anything about the order in any way whatever, there is but one place to look. Absolutely every- thing except the original correspondence is in one place. 214 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM If it is desired that the shipping clerk do not know the prices, a piece of tin may be used to prevent the prices showing on his carbon copy. This system requires that the ledger cards and invoice blanks be of the same size. The shipping carbon, being the final copy, may be on manila cardboard, and the thin paper first carbon sent to the bookkeeping department may be destroyed after it has served its purpose of check- ing ; or it may be lightly pasted to the side or top of the manila shipping card, so that thin paper slips will not make trouble in the card file. 5. Bookkeeping for Mail Order Specialties. The system just described is well adapted to a general wholesale or manufacturing business. In the case of a mail order specialty where credit is given, as in case of the sale of books, correspondence courses, medical treatments, or the like, only one item is charged to the cus- tomer, who then ceases to be a prospect for repeat business. In my office I circularize a list of a quarter of a million business men to sell my book How to Do Business by Letter at $1, cash with order, thus accumulating say 25,000 names. When the order comes in I write the address label with a carbon copy on a card or slip of manila paper. The label may have a perforated piece on the side on which the name of the book ordered is written. This is usually done on the type- writer. The carbon copy shows the title of the book in permanent form, and EXACTLY HOW THE ADDRESS APPEARS ON THE ORIGINAL PACKAGE. If the addressing clerk made a mistake in the address I can see at a glance in my office what appears on the label on the book where it lies undelivered in Cincinnati or elsewhere. This enables me to trace shipments with such success that I find that I lose less than one book out of 4,000. These carbon copies of the address labels of orders received for a $1 book form the list which I circularize for my $10 course, offering credit of $1 paid for the book and asking $1 deposit, while $8 additional is billed as a credit. In writing the invoice I use a small billhead and keep a carbon copy on a 3x5 slip of bond paper perforated for a looseleaf binder. This is my ledger entrj^ and the only one that I have. The binder holds about 200 slips, and I have a different binder for each additional book or specialty. If the number of orders were very large, I should prob- ably prefer to keep my 3x5 ledger slips in a card drawer, and might use a heavier card. So long as I do not have over 200 of these accounts open at one time, the looseleaf binder I find much easier to handle. The date of each collection letter is indicated under its number. When the account has been paid, the slip is taken out and filed - LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 215 Q Punch for Binder Q Date Name Address Collection Letters - Dates 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Form 5 CopyrighU 1909, by Sherwin Cody Subject Month PERIODICAL Key 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Inq. Or. Inq. Or. Inq. Or. SECOND HALF Key 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Inq. Or. Inq. Or. Inq. Or. FORM S Copyright, 1909, bv Sherwin Cody 216 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM in a card drawer, and forms a list wiiicli I circularize for my Complete Course at |30, giving credit for $5 for the $10 course already purchased. In sending out the card course I also keep a carbon card showing the actual address label. This forms a duplicate list as well as shipping record and means of tracing shipments. 6. Simplified Instalment Bookkeeping. When I get orders for my Complete Course on the instalment plan of $5 down and $5 a month for five months, and have to send out Steps, give Criticisms, and keep accounts of collection letters for each instal- ment, I use Form 6, a front, h back. These cards cost printed (on postcard manila) less than 60c a thousand and I send them out with all my circulars as an order blank. On receipt of the order I use the blank spaces on the back to keep track of the business by the use solely of a common hand dater and a pen. When the first step is sent out I stamp the date in the space after "Step 1." When the answers to that lesson come in and I correct the lesson, I stamp the date after "Criticism 1," and so on. "S" stands for the special lessons on the man's particular business, and "E" for the Extras sent when the course has been paid for in full. When an instalment is received the date is stamped in a space under "Pay." The letters sent out for the collection of each instalment are indicated by small numbers written with a pen after the number of the instalment to be collected in the column "Col." or "Collections." Thus the entire record of a complicated course is kept on a 3x5 card with the use of only a dater and writing with a pen the numbers of a few collection letters. Some people would have a big card, three or four entries, and full information about the pupil as to who his father and mother are, where he was born, how old he is, where he went to school, etc. But what are all these things to me? I never need them. On this card I have exactly what I do need — the original order and every important fact in connection with the entire transaction running over six months or a year. The same system may easily be adapted to a piano instalment busi- ness, or the like. It is advisable to use 3x5 cards for all inquiry blanks and order forms, as they can be filed so conveniently when received. 7. Numerical Filing for Ledger and Correspondence. It is said that in bookkeeping, tests have shown that three- fourths of the bookkeeper's time is used in looking for the place to make his entry, while only one-fourth is used in making the entry. The numer- ical system of filing ledger cards and correspondence ( for the two should LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM :i7 Date Mr. Sherwin Cody 1411 Security Building y Chicago Dear Sir: I enclose $5 as a deposit with request that you send me the first instalments of your Complete Course in Advertising, Letter Writing, and Office Salesmanship, It is understood that if I choose to return these within ten days from date, the $5 deposit will be returned to me promptly and in full. If I do not return them within the specified time, this approval order becomes a contract to take the entire course and pay $5 a month for five months, or a total of $30y 10 per cent for cash in advance, entitling me to correction of twenty lessons if returned within a year, on business of Do you wish credit of $5 for Cody System cards already purchased? , Form 6a Name- Address. STEPS CRITICISM PAY 1 12 1 11 1 2 13 2 12 2 3 14 3 13 3 4 15 4 14 4 5 16 5 15 5 6 17 6 16 COL. 7 18 7 17 1 8 19 8 18 2 9 20 9 19 3 10 S 10 20 4 11 Form «b E 5 218 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM always go together) in many lines of business will save one-half or more of the entire cost of bookkeeping — that is, with the numerical system, any bookkeeper will be able to do the work of two men under the old system, or more. The numerical system is not at all adapted for some lines of busi- ness, however. In a mail order specialty business it would be worse than useless. It is particularly adapted to wh(flesale and miscellaneous businesses where there is a fixed and not too large number of active accounts, so that the bookkeeper can learn most of the numbers by heart and will not have to look them up in the alphabetical index. If he docs not have to refer to each account often, so that he gets the customer's number fixed in mind, or the number of accounts is so large he cannot possibly remember them, the numerical system is a nuisance. It is possible to divide a large list of customers up among several bool:- keepers, who .will have entirely separate ledgers, with only such number as they can handle and remember. Thus one bookkeeper will have all customers whose names begin with letters up to G, another from H to M, another from N to S, and a fourth from T to Z. Each bookkeeper is known by his first letter — ^A, H, N, T, and this letter appears before all his numbers, but each uses the numbers from 1 up, and can remember them all in his division, though not in the other man's division. Whenever an order comes in, the mail clerk, who must have the best memory of all, writes the customer's number on it, and throughout the house the order or correspondence is known only by that number. If he can't remember the number, he looks in the alphabetical index — Fig. 52 — and finds out what the number is. If it is a new customer, the next highest unused number must be given. Fig. 51 in the body of this book shows a model of this system. Usually the size will be 5x8 on end instead of 3x5 on side. Ordinary guide cards numbered 10, 20, etc., appear between each bunch of ten accounts, but the full number appears written in the corner of each card for permanent reference. If the bookkeeper can carry the number in his mind so he does not have to look it up every time, he can actually see at a glance exactly where EACH account is, so he can put his hand directly on it without fumbling for even a second, as is necessary in any alphabetical indexing system that is possible. In the alphabetical system two or more ac- counts are sure to appear more or less often behind any guide, and these have to be examined one after the other before the right one is located. Besides, the eye cannot follow alphnbotlcnl guides with any- thing like the speed that it can numerical guides. Dead accounts are promptly marked by placing a clip on the top of the card, and are removed to another card tray to be followed up in LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 219 an effort to galvanize the old customer into life. If within a certain time, say three months, the customer has not placed another order, his number is cancelled and given to a new customer. Thus the low numbers are kept working, instead of adding high ones. The general system .explained under No. 4 is continued with the numerical filing. In this case the correspondence is all put into folders which have the same number as the ledger accounts. Everything within that folder belongs to the customer whose number it bears. This is practicable only when each customer has much correspondence. If there were only a letter or two from any one customer, the use of manila paper folders would be a superfluity. In posting a numerical ledger, much time is saved through the fact that all invoice slips are arranged in numerical order by a low-priced boy, and the bookkeeper wastes no time in hunting around for the proper place to make his entry. When one card is filled up, another is placed at the back of it, and the ledger is perpetual. If different colored ink is used each month for four or five successive months, errors in drawing off trial balances will be avoided through putting in an old account by mistake, for all accounts of preceding months will instantly appear as written in an ink of different color. Retail Accounting. For a retail store the increasingly popular system starts with small pads of order forms in duplicate for each individual clerk, which can be bought for a couple of cents each all ready for use. The carbon copy is given the customer with the goods, the original (kept because it is more likely to be perfectly plain) is sent to the bookkeeper. A circle is put around "Cash," "Charge" or "C. O. D." Charges are written off on a long billhead kept in a looseleaf binder, each item written with price in small figures after it, the total carried to the right-hand columns. This posting is c'one day by day, and at the end of the week the bill is footed and mailed to flie customer, only the total being carried forward. The original order slips are kept as the only permanent record. Cash items and paid bills are entered in a bound cashbook. If billing is done on the typewriter a carbon copy can easily be kept, though it is very seldom needed. Carbons of pen writing are not worth bothering with. 8. Checking Advertising Inquiries Received by Mail. The most convenient system for checking mail order or magazine advertising of almost any kind is by use of a card like Form 8, on which 220 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM S8|BS -e- • ■e^ . ^ saiBS -o- Q <^ •^ S81BS CO -t^ ' <^ 6 -if ^ S8|BS -o- D ■w- >> S8|BS -a ■w- ^ < C/) •ON - (N m ''^ IT) ^ r^ 00 o^ O ^ CN m ^ IT) VD r- 00 Oj o CM CN CM CN S 1 PERMANENT ADVERTISING RECORD Date. .19 Weatherl^^'^ V^^^- ( Last year. Sec. Art. Calls Direct Sales Total Sales Space Cost This year Cost Last year % Gain % Loss Reg. Price Adv. Price ! FORM 9 B i Copyright, 1909y by Sherwin Ci LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 221 the days of the month are printed, with a space for inquiries and another for orders. A fresh card is used each month. If desired, a card with tab showiug the mouth already printed may be used, though the form on which the month is written in the space provided is probably just as convenient. Several periodicals may be written on each card. Each has a special street number, room number, or department number to be used as a key. See page 21'). 9. Checking Retail Advertising. The system used by Marshall Field & Co. and other large Chicago and New York retail stores is just as applicable to the small store as to the large. The sj'stem is very simple, and is probably the best that can be devised. Form 9a shows the card which is sent to the section clerks. On the back of this card may be written the names of the articles in that section that are advertised, and each article is preceded by a number. The clerk simply makes a mark in one of the spaces under the column headed by that number, or writes the amount of the sale.. At night each card is totaled, and the department manager writes off the totals on another similar card at the top of which he writes "Totals," or sends the cards to the advertising department to be added up by an expert. This should not be necessary, however. Form 9b shows the form of the permanent record. Ordinarily the permanent record shows only the totals for the section as a whole. The column headed "Art." is used only for specials that may be a regular feature of the house, and only in such cases will use be made of the columns '"Reg. Price" and "Adv. Price." Observe that in all retail advertising returns the state of the weather plays an important part and should always be clearly indicated after the day is finished. 10. Cost Systems. Every manufacturing or job-work business should have a careful cost system in which every item of cost is included. Items of overhead expense are best indicated by a percentage derived from a careful com- pilation of the relative cost of such during the preceding year. The printing business has about as many items as any. and it is said that few printers make much money simply because they do not know exactly what their work costs them and make mistakes frequently because they give estimates by a rough and ready guessing system. This business is therefore .selected simply for illustration and because the writer is familiar with it. In case of the printing cost card, the form should be printed the 222 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM COST Job Quoted By Stock— Body Cover Comp.— Hand Mach. Cuts Electros Corrections Alterations Lock-up Make-ready Press Ink Binding Cutting Delivery Remarks Add for Overhead 9^$ Form 10 Article Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cod] PERPETUAL INVENTORY Our No. Fac. No. Unit Max. Min. Price Disc. Totals Frd. Time Date Rec'd Sold Bal. Date Rec'd Sold Bal. * . FORM 1 1 1 Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cody LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 223 same on both sides of the card. One side is headed "Cost" as shown in the sample. The other side has the same blanks, but is headed "Estimate." When the job is sent into the shop the foreman will see on the "Estimate" side of the card just what time the estimator expected would be given to the job at the price he has quoted. This will often prevent a foreman through ignorance devoting an amount of time en- tirely unjustified by the estimate. At the same time, when the card comes back the estimator will see how closely he has estimated each item, or if some workman has been dallying. Both of these are very important things to know, and both the estimate and the actual figures of cost should be kept side by side. If there is danger that an estimate card will be lost in the composing room, a duplicate should be kept in the office. The general manufacturer will have a system of his own, but he will have to figure out his total from the costs over a period, or for a dozen pieces, or 100, as the case may be. To work out such systems re- quires an expert in each individual case, since the chance for error in omitting or incorrectly estimating any item of expense is great. 11. Perpetual Inventory. There is very great value in keeping an inventory always up to date. This is almost imperative in a wholesale or general manufacturing business. The rough and ready way of having a bin or a section for goods of a given character and going around once in a while and looking the bins over to see which are low or which are too full is old-fashioned and very unsystematic. The inventory should be kept in the accounting room by a man who probably never sees the stock at all. Form 11 is a stock form that might be used in a business of almost any kind, with special changes or adaptations. Under "Unit" you indicate whether you count that particular article by "1," "doz.," "gross," or the like. Keeping the inventory is the regular work of an inventory clerk, who of course may have many other duties also. The carbon duplicate of the invoice or shipping order written when the order is received from the customer is sent to the inventory clerk, who enters the amount of each item on the card headed by that item and writes out the balance remaining. Likewise when any goods that have been ordered are received they are first checked by the invoice that accompanies them, and then the checked invoice is sent to the inventory clerk to add the goods to his inventory. On each card should appear the minimum and maximum amount that ought to be carried, and the moment the stock reaches the minimum 224 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM the inventory clerk indicates the fact by sticking a steel clip on that card, and every clay the buyer simply glances over the card tray and talies out for ordering the cards on which clips appear, lie sees at a glance what the sales have actually been and is able to order with perfect intelligence. At the same time he may change the minimum or maximum, or discontinue the article by writing in red ink "Discontinue" across the face of the card. In a retail store it is not practicable to use such an inventory system as this, because of the large number of small orders. As a substitute, when a sample is placed on the display floor to sell from a ticket is attached on which is written the amount of stock on hand and the minimum, the same as on Form 11. Each sales person in making a sale deducts the amount of the sale and shows the balance remaining. Or the sizes of the different pieces of goods are written and each is crossed off when it is sold. When the minimum has been reached the salesman may have instructions to attach a red ticket so the buyers can see at a glance what items are getting low. 12. A Real Estate Becord. While such an inventory card as has been described under Form 11 will do for almost any wholesale or general manufacturing business, and may easily be adapted to a retail business, the same principle will apply equally well to the listing of houses for sale or rent, farms, oriental rugs, individual works of art, or anything that is purely in- dividual, yet needs a detailed clescription to sell it. Such a card as Form 12, for description of a house for sale or rent, is easily made up. As it has no cross rules it will cost little to have it set up by a printer, and it may be arranged in infinite variety. 13. School Eecord. A school record card should present a system which can be checked for a large number of entries with the greatest rapidity and show the largest possible number of individual facts on one page at a glance. A record is needed in the office for keeping track of the payments, etc., and a record is needed by each teacher for recording the daily attendance. Form 13 serves both of these purposes, and is the most condensed and easily checked form that has been devised. The date of payment is shown by circling the month with pencil or red ink and also circling the day of the month. In this way ordinarily the date of entrance is indicated in the line marked "Date." The instal- ment payments may be indicated in the same manner in the lines marked "Attendance." By this system the total attendance for any six months LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM DWELLING FOR RENT OR SALE 225 Location Rent Price Lot House or Elat Condition When Bunt Interior Floors Plumbing Foundation No. Stories Rooms Laundry Range Heat Light Water Keys at Insurance Taxes Transportation Lease Expires Kemarks Date OWNER Address Form 12 Name Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cody Address Parent' s Name Parent's Occupation Course Price Date^ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jan. Feb. 9 10 11 12 13 14 IS 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. 27 28 Nov. 29 30 31 Dec. Payments Attendance Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept Oct. Nov. Dec. 12 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ,12 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 11 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 IS 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ,12 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Form 13 Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cody 226 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM of the year may be indicated with only seven lines instead of twelve. The individual teacher will receive a card in which in the line "Date" the date of entrance has been marked, and daily attendance can be indicated by circling the month (the last mouth circled is sup- posed to be current) and then crossing out the day in case of absence. Days not crossed out are supposed to indicate attendance. As the number of cards is small and danger of losing some may be considerable, it would be advisable to have them punched and kept in a secure looseleaf binder, though a good system is to have the teacher keep them in a leather pocketbook or cardcase loose. The latter method allows turning them more rapidly in calling the roll. 14. Salesman's Route Call. Much time may be saved, uniformity secured, and the convenience of every one served if each traveling man is supplied with a blank card like Form 14, on which he can quickly and easily write his route each week. The beauty of this is that it may be filed by dropping it into a card tray, and information about any salesman can be found in a fraction of the time required for looking through letters, which are in the end very likely to be found incomplete through oversight. 15. Salesmen's Reports on Customers. The office salesman of any business could do five times as much good for the sales department if he had five times as much information about customers or prospective customers. This information the sales- man could easily collect if he were given an easy system on which to go after it. Form 15 shows a card calling for exactly the information most needed in every business, and in a size convenient to be carried in a card case. The salesman may either be given blank cards which he can fill out after each call he makes, or cards can be filled out for every business rated in Dun or Bradstreet with name, address, and rating, and the salesman can use the cards as leads if it is best to lay out his route with such precision in advance. A similar form may be used in giving canvassers leads to follow up. 16. Shipping Blank for Mail Order Specialty. When shipping is not made' from a miscellaneous stock, but only from four to five items, it is more convenient to have the names of these items printed on a card with blanks to fill in the number of copies of each book and place for the shipping clerk to verify the order before returning to the bookkeeping department for billing. Invoices are sent LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 227 NAME My route and address for the next seven days will be as foUoAvs SUNDAY DATE TOWN ADDRESS MONDAY TUESDAY • WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY REMARKS Form 14 (To be cut small size as printed) Firm Sal !»man Address See Credit said to be I^ooks Has handled our Order $ Ought to use our Quantity- Now handles Form IS Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cody 228 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM only the day after the shipping clerk sends back his verification of the order for shipping. (Form IG). This form might be written in duplicate on the typewriter and the dnplicate, properly filled out, sent to the customer for his information and to show him exactly what has been done and how. Sending such a statement would no doubt prevent many complaints and much delay when shipments are not promptly received. With some additions, it will do also for a complete invoice form. 17. "Out" Card. When any papers, cards, or the like are taken out for any purpose, or any letters removed from a file, an "Out" card should always be put in the place of what is removed. This card has several lines with blank spaces in which to write with pencil the date on which file has been removed, and by whom, the date returned and by whom, and "Remarks," such as "Torn," "Cut," and the like. Form 17 may be printed on a full letter sheet if used in a letter file, or any size of card- that may be con- venient. The size 3x5 gives enough spaces for ordinary needs, for when more are required the card will probably be worn out and another will be needed. It is important to have a record of the person who returns, in case any part of the file is missing and needs to be traced. If one "Out" card is used promiscously, or a few, which are put in the file only when papers are taken out, the number of the file removed or the name may be written under "Remarks," and by running over all the "Out" cards in use the record of removal may be found in case tracing is required. "Out" cards should be in a special color and have a tab on the edge marked "out." 18. Index and Cross Reference Cards. . The index to a numerical file, and a system of cross references by subject is conveniently kept on a form like Form 18. The space at the right is used for the numerical file index number, the primary number above, the cross reference below. See Fig. Vm in body of this book. Card Index and Looseleaf Stock. There are four standard kinds of card index stock. For cards on which any records are to be written with a pen, a ledger finish is desirable, and a good quality of stock. In the Compendium of Card Systems sample case, the lightest white cards are ledger paper, cut from size 28x34 — weight 72 pounds to the ream, wholesale cost 10c a pound, cost per M 3x5 cards about 24e, cutting LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM SHIPPING ORDER 229 Ship to Name SUect Via Town Date- Charges .How to do business by letter .Exercises in letter writing .Word-Study for schools . Correct English -Touch typewriting _How to do business by 1- and adv .Literary Composition J*rivate Secretary Manual .Nutshell Library, Vols. 1,2,3,4, 5,6,7,8,9,10,11.12 .Dictionary of Errors Shipped above (date) SHIPPING CLERK'S REPORT chgs. Form 16 Copyright, 1909, by Sherwin Cody TAKEN BY RETURNED BY REMARKS Form 17 Copyrightt 1909, by Sherwin Cody 230 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM extra from 10c a thousand up according to quantity. This sized sheet is not very convenient for 3x5 cards. The next heavier ledger finished card is an index bristol Ivnown as two-ply, or 25^^x301/^ — 110 pounds, cost wholesale $2.25 a hundred sheets, or 45c a thousand 3x5 cards, cutting extra from 12c a thousand up according to quantity. This stock is shown in white, buff, and salmon. The buff shows ink plainly and does not soil so easily as white, and on that account I prefer that color, and this is heavy enough for ordinary use. If cards are much used and heavy stock is desired, the next heavier weight is the same quality of stock, in the same size, weight 140 pounds, cost $2.75 a hundred sheets, or 55c a thousand 3x5 cards, cutting extra from 15c a thousand up according to quantity. The samples are guides (the only blue cards in the file), a color that may also be had in the lighter weight. This card is as heavy as any 3x5 card needs to be, but heavfer. weights would be required for large ledger cards such as 5x8. The size 25'^x30i^ inches is a standard card index bristol size. Other standard card index bristol sizes are 201^x24% and 22l^x28l^. The standard colors are v/hite, blue, buff, and salmon. For carbon copies, which will take typewriter, carbon impressions, pencil, and ink admirably, nothing is better than a good manila. The light yellow sheet shown in the sample box is "Railroad Manila," 28x34 — 5G pounds, price 4iy4c (some grades less) a pound, cost of cards 3x5 about 71/4 c per M, cutting extra from 10c a thousand up according to quantity. For a stiffer manila card nothing is better than "Post Card Manila," the same as is used for government post cards. This is shown in the sample box in cream or buff color, the same as the ordinary U. S. postal card. Sheet is 27%x39i4 — 102 pounds, price 5c a pound, cutting 72 cards out of a sheet, if cards are left l-K) of an inch short, which makes them easier to handle in a drawer, costs 24c a thousand 3x5 cards, cutting extra from 15c a thousand up. Cutting. It is very difficult to get an ordinary printer to maintain an exact size to a hair, and if carcis vary even a shade, the short ones will get lost in the file and will be missed in fingering. On this account die-cut cards are to be preferred. If cards can be cut in full sheets, the prices for cutting given above hold for die-cutting as well as machine cutting. Machine cutting often leaves a rough, fuzzy edge on thick cards. If cards are cut by machine, accuracy can be attained by first cutting the stock into convenient sizes to handle with a little waste on one side and then setting the cutter for the exact width of the cards LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM 231 with great care, testing tlie cut by comparison with a card cut with known accuracy till the cut is found to he accurate to a hair. Then all the cards are cut without resetting the machine. This requires great patience on the part of the printer, but he must give it very close personal attention or he will find repeat orders will not come to him, though he may never learn the reason why. Trimming all the cards without changing the cutter guide is the essential point. General Suggestions. Simplicity. — The tendency of all amateurs in making up card systems is to run into needless complications. They put on matters for which there is no real use whatever, or which require more time to post up than they are worth. When any system of this sort proves cumbersome, the whole thing is likely to be dropped. That which is exactly suited to the absolute needs of the business, with nothing what- ever superfluous, becomes on the contrary a joy forever. Use of Carbon Copies on Cards. — The old fashioned bookkeeping requires often three or four entries for each item — the order entered, the invoice written, an entry in a day book, and an entry in a ledger, which may, be transferred two or three times at that. The new system requires only one entry, the writing of the invoice, carbon copy of which is put in looseleaf binder and serves for ledger, the same or another carbon copy serving as order for the shipping clerk. At most a single ledger entry is made, and the daybook is some- times quite forgotten. Moreover, by the card system the itemized ac- count is just behind the ledger card and no time is lost in finding it. When the account has been paid and the credit item entered on the ledger card, the carbon copies of invoices behind the ledger card are removed to a permanent file and do not cumber the ledger tray. Useless Itemizing on Eecord Cards. — When a business man wants to make out a new card system he thinks of this he would like to know, or might like to know, and of that, and of the other. He does not stop to find out whether he ever will want to know those things, or if they are worth the cost of entering. Every useless space on a card, or useless item called for, is an item of lost brain motion, and is not only dead, but a hindrance. Every- thing that is not known; to be absolutely neec!ed should be left out. Don't think it will do no harm to have it on there. It will do harm. It is far better, really far wiser to consider that any item not known to be required is an injury always to be avoided. Cut it out. Err, if err you must, by not having enough on, or leave a few blank lines in which anything needed may be written. They will serve every purpose. Cost of Filing Cabinets. — Cabinets with card trays or drawers are 232 LOOSELEAF AND CARD SYSTEM required usiuilly only for cards in active use. One small cabinet will often suffice. Other cards are stored in transfer boxes which cost 15c each retail. These boxes are made of cardboard with cloth reinforcing at the corners and on the edges, and have covers. They are durable and much more convenient for lists that are to be sent out of the office than are trays or drawers. A few trays in which to put cards while being transferred from one place to another are a convenience. They cost 50c to $2 each. A work table with sunken compartments in which card trays may be set is a great convenience for a bookkeeper, who may have 10,000 ledger accounts within reach on one table, yet run no risk of pushing a Cray off and mixing up the cards. For most purposes an ordinary kitchen table costing $1 cannot be surpassed. Expensive paraphernalia is seldom required. SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE 233 APPENDIX D PART II How to Systematize an Office To accompany Sherwin Cody's "Compendium of All Card Systems." Copyright. 1912. by Sherwin Cody. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES In the files of the Library Bureau I have examined 200,000 different card systems for various purposes. To most people these systems are a maze of technicalities. As a matter of fact, they are all developed from certain fuuda mental principles that are easily understood and could be used by any intelligent person to devise a system that would be inexpen- sive and just the thing his particular business required. There are also in business offices thousands of systems which have failed because no bright young girl knew how to work them. The following lessons take up the fundamental principles of office systems and give ample practice for the young person on doing the things that need to be done quickly and accurately.- The person who goes through this course will also know how to order and buy a looseleaf or card system at a fraction of what the large card system companies would be obliged to charge, for their charge must include enough to pay for the expensive salesman who really goes out and devises the system for a business he knows little or nothing about. Not only will the home-made system be infinitely cheaper, but it will be infinitely more useful in nine cases out of ten, because prepared by a person who KNOWS .JUST WHAT NEEDS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED. Every office should have its own system expert — and half the time she will be a young girl specially trained for that purpose. References are made to a pamphlet entitled "The Simple Foundation Principles of Looseleaf and Card Systems" — the only 234 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE systematic exposition of these fuudamental priueiples that had appeared at the time it was published — and to the IS type sys- tems in the card box outfit known as "A Compendium of All Card Systems." These will be found on page 207 et seq. EXERCISE 1. Alphabetizing Names. The first qualification for a system worker is rapidity and accuracy in alphabetizing names. Take a dictionary, thumb-indexed, and practice for a period of three or four weeks, a few minutes each day. Begin with m, say, and see how quickly you can turn to the first page of that letter. Then take p, and so on with every other letter in the alphabet, carefully timing yourself for speed. If you are not absolutely sure of the order of letters in the alpha- bet, go over it backwards as well as forwards, till you know it absolutely. Take a word beginning with la. It will be found near the beginning of the letter 1. See how quickly you can find label. Close the dictionary and see how quickly you can turn to labor, lack, ladder, lag, lamb, land, lap, last, lath, laugh, law, lax, lay. Close the book squarely between each word. Observe that there are no words in Id, lb, or Ic. They cannot be pronounced. Look up on time test lea, lead, leaf, league, leak, lean, learn, least, leather, leave. Each of these words is found by its fourth letter, and the words are as much in alphabetical order with reference to the fourth letter as with reference to the first or the second. EXERCISE 2. We want to divide up the alphabet as nearly evenly as ix)S- sible. Look over the dictionary and you will see that the letter s has many pages, the little j very few, and z still fewer. Taking the letter s as a standard with a certain number of pages, see what letters would have to Le run together to make an even division of all the words in the dictionary, making the division only on even letters, roughly, so as to come as nearly as possible to an even division. A letter file Is like that. All the names under N and O, P and Q, I and J, U and V, X, Y and Z may go in the same compartment in a twenty-guide file. How would you divide up a forty-guide file? A sixty-guide file? A telephone directory or a city directory would be better to work on than a dictionary in studying out about how these divisions might be SYSTEMATIZING AX OFFICE 235 made so as to be clean and yet fairly even, for the telephone direc- tory has names, while the dictionary has common words. EXERCISE 3. Read over "Mailing Lists," "Foundation Principles," pages 2-4. Write the following names on cards, and then arrange them in alphabetical order: E. N. Smith, F. C. Miller, A. L. Brown, Geo. W. Mairs, W. W. Froeschle, C. A. Colter, O. M. Olson, Jane Chapin, Mary McDonald, Susan Johnson, Anna Mauer, Mathilda Zibel, Laura McGuire, W. H. Dickson, Belle Barton, D. M. Dyer, Carl Voight, F. A. Voigt, R. A. Voigt, S. Kinsey, C. Geer, C. A. Head, James T. Jones, W. L. Marble, Jr., C. E. Hawkins, Eva Baker, Iva McDill, Bruno Zachrisson. After arranging the cards in alphabetical order, copy off the names on the mailing sheet, filling in at the top the name of your own town and writing local addresses in the second line. Taking any of the columns, place a strong check-mark or cross opiK)site all the names of women. Be sure these marks are all in the same column, and notice that by running your eye down that column you can pick out the names of women as quickly as if they were not mixed with the names of men. Then check the men in an- other column. EXERCISE 4. Alphabetical by States and Towns Read over Section 2 of "Foundation Principles," page 4. Ordinarily we arrange lists alphabetically by names regard- less of the places where the people live ; but often it is desirable to have lists of names arranged so we can find quickly the custom- ers in any given territory. Then we must arrange the names alphabetically, first by states (that is, all in Arizona are placed first, and those in Arizona will begin with the town that has the first letter of the alphabet, and so on to the end of the towns in Arizona. The towns in Colorado, for example, will begin with A and go to the end of the alphabet, and so on). Arrange the following addresses alphabetically by states and towns : J. D. Arthur, Asbury Park, N. J. ; American Seating Co., 215 Wabash Ave.. Chicago, 111.; Chas. Badeau, Baker City, Ore.; Booth. Macdonald & Co., Christchurch, New Zealand; A. Behrens Mfg. Co., Winona, Minn. ; H. G. Braithwaite, Ottawa, Ont. ; A. R. Bredelph, Elizabeth, N. J.; E. A. Cole, Charlotte, N. C. ; J. B. Cessna, Pittsburgh, Pa.; C. E. Cancey, Peoria, 111.; G. H. Cramer, Omaha, Nebr. ; C. E. Dodge, Syracuse, X. Y. ; Peter Duffy, Seagate, 236 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE Long Island, N. Y. ; J. N. Deglemann, Mankato, Minn.; Perry Deeter, Pleasant Hill, Ohio; Harry Evans, Davenport, Iowa; Everard C. Fuller, Box 350, Providence, R. I.; W. S. Gibson, Atlanta, Ga. ; Raymond W. Hall, Westfield, N. Y. ; Geo. M. Heath, LaCrosse, Wise. ; Chas. W. Inman, New Albany, Ind. ; S. G. Lisher, Napa, Cal. ; F. B. Martin, Des Moines, Iowa; P. H. Neill, Napa, Cal.; Randolph Rose, Chattanooga, Tenn. ; H. H. Sawyer, Napa, Cal. ; Miss Nora Sullivan, Cuba, N. Y. ; E. M. Selkirk, North East, Pa.; C. J. Swan, Richmond Hill, N. Y.; John N. Webb, Norfolk, Va. ; Jos. Weiler, Olney, 111.; Wichita College of Music, Wichita, Kans. Write the preceding names on cards of Form No. 2, Compend- ium of Card Systems, and practice distributing these cards with rapidity into alphabetical order, merely making sure you get the card in front of the right guide without troubling to see that it is in alphabetical order with reference to other cards in front of the same guide. Then mix the cards, and see how rapidly you can distribute them in front of state guides, which you can make for yourself by writing the abbreviations of states on the back of the alphabet guide cards and using them with the back to the front instead of the printed letter side to the front. EXERCISE 5. Filing Letters Write each name in Exercise 3 on a blank sheet of paper with an actual address in your own town, and see how rapidly you can distribute these into an ordinary box letter file or a vertical letter file. Do the same with the addresses in Exercise 4. Then file them all alphabetically according to states and towns. In case of the names in Exercise 3, you will have a large number all in the same town. These may be arranged alphabetically according to the names themselves and placed in a folder made of a double sheet of manila paper of the same size as the letter file guides. This folder will then be labeled with the name of the town and placed in its proper place with the rest of the matter that is arranged alphabetically according to states and towns. EXERCISE G. Numerical Filing Read over Section 7 of "Foundation Principles," pages 10-12. Take the preceding address cards and shuffle them well, and then write a plain number on each, beginning with 1. Copy oflf SYSTEMATIZING AX OFFICE 2Z7 the names on Form Xo. 18, writing the number in the place indi- cated for it. Then use Form No. 7 as a set of numerical guides. These are really ledger cards, but may serve equally as guide cards. Notice that the tens are in blue at the right, and that the units follow them. To find 22, first look on the right for 20 among the blue cards and pull that forward. Then pull forward the unit cards so as to leave 2 standing, and drop in your name card directly in front of this. Distribute the numbered name cards into this numerical file, at first always pulling down the blue card indicating tens, and then the unit card. After you have done this a few times j'ou can catch the blue card (showing the tens) with your eye simply with- out pulling it forward, and extend your hand directly to the right unit card, so you perform only one operation and get the plac-e right every time; but that requires considerable practice. The sheets of letter paper for the letter file may be numbered with the same numbers and put into numerical letter files. Observe that Form 18 gives the number key, and these cards are arranged alphabetically so if you do not remember the number you can look for the name in this list and find out what the num- ber is; but ordinarily you are expected to remember all the num- bers corresponding to names. EXERCISE 7. Follo/wing-Up Inquiries. In case of a private school soliciting enrollments it will be advisable that students work directly on that actual and veritable system. In the case of public schools it is iK)ssible for teachers to obtain from the Postgraduate School of Business its follow-up, dummies of which can be made for practice purposes by copying the headings on blank sheets of paper of the same size and folded in the same way. The following exercises are arranged with reference to the follow-up system of a school of this character. Review Section 2 of "Foundation Principles. " Form No. »2 is designed for filing by states and towns. The fact, however, that the name is written on the second line makes no difference as to alphabetical indexing by names. Under the title "Prospect for" would be written the kind of course the prospect might wish to take, as "Business Course." "Shorthand Course," "Bookkeeping Course," "Literary Course," "Postgraduate Course," or the like. Under '"Source" would be written the place from which the. in- 238 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE quiry came, as "Review of Reviews," indicating that it came from an advertisement in that magazine; or "Recommended by Harry Jones" (another student), or "List of High School Graduates." In practice a number or abbreviation would be used. The follow-up catalogues or circulars are placed before the systematizer and numbered from 1 up. Then the form letters used to follow up inquiries are numbered from 1 up. When the circular numbered 1 is sent out, the date is written in the space numbered 1 on the card, and when the first letter is sent out the date in short form is placed in the space numbered 1, second line. Write the date in abbreviated form as "3/19" for the 19th of March. It may be that for some reason in a particular case the letter numbered 5 is to be sent out before the letter numbered 2. In that case the date is written in the space numbered 5 and the spaces between are left blank. The dates will show the order in which the letters were sent out. Special letters may be indicated in the blank spaces at the right. The cards in Exercise 4 may be used for practice purposes, and the dummy follow-up circulars and letters actually enclosed in envelopes for mailing. A clip should be placed so as to show the day of the month (actual day of the month) when the next follow-up should go out, counted four days ahead of the date of the first. One quarter of the names will be prepared for the first day, another quarter the second day, and so on, and the clips will show the same difference of dates for the follow-ups. These are taken in their numerical order (supposed to be the way they actually come to the office), and are distributed into the alpha- betical file. The clips will show at a glance which cards need to be attended to on each day. EXERCISE 8. Read Section 3 of "Foundation Principles," pages 5, 6. When Exercise 7 has been handled as a continuing exercise for a sufficient length of time to satisfy the teacher that it is well • understood, the same cards may be transferred to the guides of Form No. 3. The clips are then removed, and all cards requiring the first follow-up will be placed in front of the card marked "1st follow-up," etc. These are given attention on a certain day of each week, say every Wednesday. You cannot find any given card if it is called for suddenly unless you remember or look through all the follow-ups. This is a more primitive system than the other, but. is best to use when there will be no occasion to look up any SYSTEAIATIZING AX OFFICE 239 particular name, as when circularizing pupils who may be enrolled only the following autumn, and the follow-up is merely educational. Then when the follow-up is finished, the cards will be filed in front of the month when they ought to have more attention, as August or September. An exercise may also be arranged by the teacher in which the follow-ups are a month apart. Then if the clips are used the month cards will bo required to show in what month the date set by the clip will be found. EXERCISE 9. Checking Advertising Read over Section S of "Foundation Principles," page 13. Let us now pass over the accounting methods to Form 8 for checking advertising. We will suppose that the list of names in Exercise 4 are inquiries that came from advertising in the three periodicals — Saturday Evening Post. Review of Reviews, and Cos- mopolitan. We take one card of Form S and write these names in the blank spaces under the word "Periodicals," abbreviating the name when necessar.v. Some firms ask inquirers to write to "Dept. 3" or to ask for "Catalogue B." Those who write will often not take the trouble to put this on. But they will put on the street number or room number of a building, not knowing that it is not the right one. If you are on the 14th floor of a building and there are only 12 rooms, numbers from 1412 up to 1500 may be used for key purix)ses without causing your mail to go to a wrong room. So likewise if the street is numbered from 500 up to 556, numbers over 55<5 up to GOO may be used for key purposes, and the postman will think it is an error and deliver the letter without question to you. Select, therefore, a false street number as the "key" in the case of each of these periodicals. On the line "Source" you can write this key number alone, at random or alternating, so as to have some of one and some of another in miscellaneous order. Then take the day of the month on which you find the first circular matter was sent out, and count all of that date and enter under that day in the line "Inq." The month you write at the top of the card after "Month," and after "Sub- ject" you write "Business Course," or whatever the thing may be which you suppose to be advertised. If two advertisements, one for the "Business Course" and one for the "Literary Course" were running, each would have its own key number. Write the 240 'SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE key numbers on the cards of Exercise 4 and enter them properly on one card of Form 8. EXERCISE 10. Checking Retail Advertising Read over Section 9 of "Foundation Principles," page 9. When a grocer advertises "sugar, "coffee," "flour," "canned tomatoes at 10c," and "olive oil" on the same day, each clerk will be asked to keep a record on Form 9a of the number of inquiries for that article and the amount of sales, if any. On the back of one card of Form 9a write the five kinds of goods indicated above, and after each place a number given you by the teacher — from 1 to 5. All pupils must have the same number. Whenever you as clerk have an inquiry for sugar, you make any kind of check mark (a figure 1 is good) in Cohimn 1 under "Calls" ; if you make a sale you enter the amount of the sale in the columns for dollars and cents. Any call for olive oil you enter in the same way in Column 5. Enter in this way the following : Sugar 5 lbs. at 6c ; 1 lb. coffee at- 35c; 49 lbs. flour at $1.45; 3 cans of tomatoes at 10c; 1 qt. olive oil at $1.10, and fifteen similar items dictated by the teacher. EXERCISE 11. Analyzing Retail Advertising Returns Form 9b is intended for a summary of all records made by different clerks on Form 9a. Let each pupil see that he has the correct number of calls as indicated by the number in the first column of Form 9a, and then add up the total sales in the other columns till all have the same totals. Considering that each pupil in the class is a clerk, and each clerk brings in his personal record, we first add all of these together so as to get the total number of inquiries for each article and the total sales. Then we take Form 9b. In the column headed "Sec." we enter *'Gro.," meaning "Grocery Section," and in the column headed "Art." we enter the article by number, sugar being 1, olive oil 5, and so on. Under the heading "Calls" we enter the total number of calls for each article, and under "Direct Sales" we enter the totals of the amounts of sales of each. I'nder "Total Sales" we might indicate the department manager's report of the total sales on sugar or olive oil or the like, including in addition to the re- ports of the clerks on direct inquiries all orders that came in from regular customers, etc., through other channels; but in this case we do not have that information, nor do we know the amount of SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE 241 newspaper space used. We can enter the price under the heading "Reg. Price." The other columns we will consider in our advanced course in advertising. EXERCISE 12. Cost of Printing Read Section 10 of "Foundation Principles," pages 14, 15. A full understanding of Form 10 involves knowing what the work in a printing otQce actually costs, as compared with the esti- mate made in advance as a basis of a quoted price. For our pur- poses we will be content with merely figuring the actual c-ost of printing a four-page circular, each page 6x0 inches for the pai>er, and 414 x7M» inches for the tyi)e, plain comiK)sition 10 pt. leadwl, on pai>er No. 115, 25x40 inches, 45 lbs. to ream of 500 sheets, electros on wood at scale cost less 30%, corrections requiring two hours at 75c an hour, lock-up $1.50; make-ready on press, two hours, at $1 an hour ; 5,000 impressions at $1 a thousand ; 25c for cutting. 2oc a thousand for folding once, under "Binding," 30c for delivery, machine composition at 50c a thousand ems. For meth- ods of carrying out these directions, see Course 11 on "Type, Print- ing, and Advertising." Add 10% for overhead, and quote a price in which 25% is added for profit. EXERCISE 13. Keeping Inventory Records . Read Section 11 of 'Foundation Principles," pages 15, 16. The simplest inventory to keep is that of the paper and envel- opes on hand in any office, so you will know just when to order, how much, etc. On Form 11 we enter on one card "Envelopes." These come in boxes with 250 in a box, and under "unit" we enter "Bx250." We ordinarily order 5,000 at a time, which we enter under the head "Max." (maximum). As it takes a full week to print a new lot, or possibly two weeks if the order is sent to a mill, we ought to give a new order when only one box is left on hand ; so under "Min." (minimum) we enter 250. The space for "dis- count" we ignore, as there is no discount on purchases of envelopes. The space "Totals Frd." (forward) is used when one card is filled and the total left on hand as sho\vn by this card is brought for- ward for entry on the next card. The year may be entered in the space marked "Time." On January 5, 1919. we receive 5,000 envelopes in 20 boxes and enter on the first line at the right. On the same date we 242 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE give out for office use one box of 250, which we enter under the heading "sold" (ordinarily this card would be used for a stock of goods to be sold over the counter or at wholesale; but giving out to the office is just the same as far as the inventory is concerned). On Feb. 2, Feb. 25, Mar. 10, INIar. 30, April 15, April 30, May 20, June 12, June 28, July 14, July 2S, Aug. 10, Aug. 31, Sept. 10 and Sept. 23 we give out a box of 250. After entering 250 each time opposite the date, in the column "Sold," we enter in the column "Bal." the total remaining, that is after the first entry there would be a balance of 4,750, after the second 4,500, and so on. EXERCISE 14. A Real Estate Record Read Section 12 of "Foundation Principles," page 17. When a real estate agent has a house or flat for rent he can- not be expected to remember everything about it, and so has a record on a card like Form 12, which is printed in this way so he will be reminded to put down everything he needs to know, and so he can see at a glance just what each house or flat has. Fill out this card with reference to the house or flat where you yourself live. Give the street number and street first, then the amount of rent, or what it would rent for in case your family owns it ; then the number of the lot and block if in a town, or else write "farm" under "lot ;" cross out under "House or flat" the one it is not ; under "condition" write '"'good," "bad" or "medium," as the facts may be, and similar words or other descriptive term under each following item. If there is nothing under any head, write "none," as when there is no barn, for example. The founda- tion is "posts," "stone," "brick, or "concrete." Under "heat" you indicate what sort of system, as "stoves," "hot water," "hot air," or the like. When you have nothing to enter under any item, write a flourish line. At the bottom fill in the name of the real owner and his address. EXERCISE 15. School Record of Pupil Read Section 13 of "Foundation Principles," pages 17, 18. One card of Form 13 you may fill out with your own name and other particulars, including the course you are taking and what you are paying, if anything. Under "Payments" you enter the amount you pay each month, and indicate the date by circling the month when you entered the school, and in the line above the SYSTEMATIZING AX OFFICE 243 day of the month when you made the first payment. After that you circle a month and a day, and the last one circled shows when the last payment was made. Under "Attendance" you can keep a record of your own attendance at school, circling the month, and then circling each day when you are present. When one line is full and you start on another month, you simply begin to circle figures in the next row. This card will take care of a six mouths course at any season of the year, so seven lines serve the same purpose as twelve lines if there were a line for each month. EXERCISE 16. Routing Salesmen Read Section 14 of "Foundation Principles," page 18. Taking Sherwin Cody's Commercial Map of the United States, or any other map showing the larger towns and cities, and also card Form Xo. 14, lay out a route for a salesman traveling from Chicago to St. Louis and return, and visiting as many towns or cities shown on the map as possible, remembering that trains go at a rate of about thirty miles an hour, and that business houses do not open before nine o'clock in the morning and close by six o'clock in the evening. Figure exactly where the salesman might probably be for his mail each day, supposing he does not have to wait more than an hour and a half at any time to catch a train, and can show his goods to one firm in a town within one hour, visiting three firms in each town. EXERCISE 17. Salesman's Report on Customers Read Section 15 of "Foundation Principles," page 18. When a salesman calls on customers he ought to make a per- sonal report so the letter writer in the oflSce will know as much as possible about the customer and how he ought to write to him. We will suppose Form Card No. 15 is carried by a wholesale grocery salesman and that he calls on the grocery stores in your neighborhood, from only one of which he gets an order. Look at these grocery stores, if possible inquire what rating has been given them by a mercantile agency such as Dun or Bradstreet, and note on the card the kind of goods the grocery store ought to buy, in your judgment, how it looks, etc., and ask one of the clerks from what jobber goods are ordinarily purchased. 244 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE This is a hard card to fill out, and honors will go to the person with some common sense and "gump" who manages to find out a few real facts. EXERCISE 18. A Shipping Order for Books Read Section IG of "Foundation Principles," pages 18, 19. When the manager of your school sends an order to any publisher for books handled by that publisher which are desired as texts in yonr school, the publisher, on receipt of the order, will fill out Form Card No. 16. His clerk will fill in the name of your school, with its address. If the order is large — 100 copies or over — the shipment will be "Via freight," and if the distance is as great as from Chicago to Utah and the shipment small, it will be "Via express," and the charges may be "prepaid"^-other- wise "Collect" or "C. O. D." If the titles printed on the card are not books used in your school, cross them out and write with pen the titles of books that are used, with the exact numbers that would be required to supply your class or the entire school (accurate count). EXERCISE 19. The "Out ' Card Read Section 17 of "Foundation Principles," page 19. In the front of each letter file there should be an "Out" card, and when anyone takes out a letter for reference the date is en- tered in the first column under "Taken" and in the next column is written the name of the person taking the letter, or for whom it is taken. The date on which it is returned is written in the column headed "Returned," and the name of the person returning it in the next "By" column. If part is missing, the paper is torn, or anything of that sort has happened, the fact should be noted under "Remarks." Taking the file containing the letters or sheets of paper filed under the names in Exercise 4, remove one for the teacher and make an entry accordingly, and five others for different members of the class. These should be returned the next day, and the proper return entries made. The same card may be used when a ledger card is removed, or an inquiry card. Go through the same operations with five in- quiry cards containing the addresses in Exercise 4. Inquire about the system in use in your school and find out what is done when a budget of letters Is taken out of the file for SYSTEMATIZING AX OFFICE 245 reference, or what cards there are to be taken out and under what circumstances they have been taken out. Ascertain if any have been lost when removed, if time has been spent huntini? for them, and what real advantage there would be if this "Out" card had been on hand. EXERCISE 20. The General Index Card See Section 18 of "Foundation Principles," page 19. We have already seen how the card Form No. 18 is used with numerical indexing, the subject cards being in alphabetical order, while the actual matter is arranged in a numerical order, the key to which is supplied by the number on the corner. The "Compendium of All Card Systems" is arranged in numer- ical order from 1 to 18. Write out subject cards for each subject, placing the most important word first to appear in the alphabetical order, write the number of the form in the corner, and arrange the cards in alphabetical order. Notice that while "Mailing Lists" or "Guides" would properly come under "M" and "G," Form 8 would not be indexed under "M" but under "A" and "Advertising Record, Mail," and Form 9 under "Advertising Record, Retail." EXERCISE 21. Cross References When the subject is treated in more than one place, under "Cross Reference" we enter an indication of all the other places where one may look for information or material relating to the general subject at the top. In the exercises in this book there are several cross references. In Exercise G you see a reference to Form Card No. 18, and the numerical ledger is also used for a numerical guide. Taking the index by subjects referring to the different form cards, write out under "Cross Reference" everything you find in any of the exercises up to this point bearing on the general subject. That is, you are to make an index of all the material in these twenty-one exercises by way of cross reference,, so your alpha- betical index will be an index both to the "Compendium of All Card Systems" and also an index to the series of exercises. EXERCISE 22. Accounting Records We will now go back to Forms 4, 5, 6, and 7. See Section 4 of "Foundation Principles," pages 6, 7, and 8. 246 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE These are not accounting systems, which must be devised by experienced bookkeepers, but only record forms for accounts. They help us to find out how to keep the records with the least trouble. Form 4 is a ledger card with a system for showing at the top at a glance the customer's credit standing. After his name and address we enter his number, if indexing is done by the numerical system. What rating has he from Dun or Bradstreet? How large a bill of goods might be sold to him safely? If he orders small amounts every other day for two months and pays nothing, in all he will have ordered a large amount of goods, and this total ought not to run over the limit of credit assigned him. If he pays by notes, we write "yes" after "Notes." The first "Disc." shows what general trade discount this customer is allowed, and the "Disc, bills" shows whether he is in the habit of paying his bills within ten days so as to get the cash discount of perhaps 2% which the house offers. At the bottom we have the number of orders the customer sent in last year, and also the total business he did, roughly, so that at a glance we may see whether he is a large customer or a small one, and whether he is increasing his orders or decreasing them. If he is dropping off his orders, something must be the matter and a salesman ought to call on him and in- quire. Credit ratings are difficult to make, but the student who has access to any real accounts can soon get the material that will enable him to fill out several of these cards for most of the spaces. EXERCISE 23. Carbon Copy Records See Section 5 of "Foundation Principles," pages 8 and 9. Whenever it is possible to use a carbon copy, remember that that saves once copying, and also helps to eliminate mistakes, for the carbon is an exact record of the original, and if you had to copy the original by hand you would run a chance of making just twice as many mistakes as if you depended on only one record and took time to be sure that was right. There are registering machines that hold the carbon paper firm, while the paper is on long rolls and is pulled over the carbon sheets by turning a crank. Then two or three or four copies of any writing may be torn off after the crank has been turned. In a retail store the clerks have little order books with sheets of carbon paper, and after the order is taken hand the carbon to the customer, and send the original to the bookkeeper for charging. SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE 247 When books are given out to students in your class and not paid for, a small billhead may be used, and a carbon copy of the bill for the book recorded on a card like Form 5. Prepare several such bills for books sold to different members of your class, hand the invoices to proper persons, and gather the carbons in alpha- betical order, punch the holes with a knife as indicated, and pass a piece of string through the cards to hold th°m like a little book. This is your carbon copy ledger. It is good when you have many orders for only one. two, three, four, or five items. It could not be used in a grocery store where orders run from one Item to twenty-five. EXERCISE 24 Installment Bookkeeping with a Dater. See Section 6 of "Foundation Principles," pages 9 and 10. We will suppose that the teacher in your class wants to hand out a series of twenty mimeographed sheets containing lessons, and wants to be sure that every pupil has a full set. Each of these sheets calls for a v/ritten lesson to be prepared and handed in, which the teacher will correct and return, and he wants to be sure that all are handed in. corrected, and returned. He uses a card like the back of Form 6, Form 6b. With a rubber dating stamp he puts a date in each space under "Steps" when the paper is given out, and a date under "Criticism" when the paper is returned. If a rubber dating stamp is not at hand, the date may be written with pencil or pen and ink in short form. The name of the person is always on the front of the card. Prepare five cards for members of your class, see by a calendar on just what dates papers would be given out (remember- ing the days of the week on which lessons are heard) and enter them as they naturally would come; then allow a week for the teacher to examine each paper and return it. and write under "Criticism" the date on which it would be returned. The heading "Pay" should show dates when payments of installments are made, and "Col." the order in which dunning let- ters are sent out on each installment. EXERCISE 25 Card System Stock See "Foundation Principles," pages 20 and 21. Oo carefully over the several different kinds of stock actually found in the cards of the "Compendium of Card Systems" and be 248 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE prepared to name each at sight when the actual stock is shown to you, giving if possible the sizes of the large sheet from which the small card was cut, the weight, and the approximate value. See how many 3x5 cards you could get out of each kind of sheet, and figure up what one thousand cirds of each quality of stock would cost. EXERCISE 26 Standard cards are 3x5, 4x6, and 5x8 inches. You have figured up the cost of 1000 cards 3x5 of each quality of stock. Now figure the same way the value of 1000 cards of each kind of stock 4x6, and also 1000 cards 5x8. Remembering that the larger the card the heavier the stock ought to be that it may stand up on its edges and not get creased, indicate your idea of what would be the cheapest available stock for cards 4x6 and 5x8. EXERCISE 27 General Suggestions for Systematizing. Study carefully the "General Suggestions" on pages 21-24 of "Foundation Principles," preparatory to devising systems for your- self. What are the objects of "systems"? Discuss fully. What are the two great dangers in systematizing? Do you always ask the question, "Will I really use this system as I have planned it?" And that other one, "Does this system require less time or more time to take care of it than the old method I followed before I thought of systems?" Give examples of useless itemizing on cards? Describe the best filing cabinets and their advantages over the common letter file. How should correcpondence be filed? Summary of Principles We have certain foundation principles of systematizing, which may be summarized as follows : 1. Automatic classification for mailing lists. Form 1. 2. The automatic date signal device. Form 2. 3. Choice of alphabetical, numerical, and special guides. Form 3 and Form 7. 4. Use of carbon paper in various ways, as for keeping a ledger by means of carbon copy of invoice as in Form 5. 5. Installment bookkeeping by means of a dater. Form 6. SYSTE.MATIZIXG AN OFFICE 249 6. Card bookkeeping that brings a variety of information into combination with a ledger. Form 4. 7. Use of calendar spaces for daily records, as calendar pads or spaces under dates, as in Form 8. 8. Use of spaces opposite numbers for totaling hasty notes, as Form 9. 9. Forms to remind one of all the different items that go to make up any total, to afford easy checking, as Forms 10 and 12. 10. The perpetual inventory system, arranged to show at a glance goods received, goods given out, and balances remaining. Form 11. 11. Economizing space by providing for different combina- tions of two or more elements. Form 13. 12. Specialized record blanks, such as Forms 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, of which there may be an endless variety. By combining these principles in different ways we may get almost any system that any business may need. In addition we should bear in mind that we may use the following different forms of paper for records, according to cir- cumstances : 1. Bound blank books. 2. Cards of either of three sizes, 3x5, 4x6, or 5x8 inches, which may be of three or four different weights, of several differ- ent colors, with or without attached tabs. 3. Loose sheets of paper in binders. All these different things should be clearly in the mind when systems are being devised, and the advantages of each carefully weighed whenever there is any equality or balance of utility. EXERCISE 28 Systematizing a Dentist's Office We now have all the principles at the bottom of systematizing and should set out to do some systematizing on our own account. Let us begin with the simple records of a dentist. We find one who has a little vestpocket notebook in which he records his appointments and jots down the work he does. Once a week he goes over that notebook and transfers his charges into a large ledger. When one notebook is full he takes another, and if he wants to see just what he did last year, he must look back through six or eight notebooks to find the right one. When he wants to send out bills he must turn over every page in his 250 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE big ledger to see what accounts have not been paid. Can we not help him to a better system? First, we will provide a calendar pad with a small blank sheet of paper for each day. He keeps his appointments on these, writing the appointments on advance pages so that when he turns over his calendar leaf each morning he sees before him all the appointments for that day. When he is out of the office his clerk can see just as well what his appointments are and make others where he does not already have engagements. Then, instead of a big old-fashioned ledger, we give him a card ledger of the right size and arrangement. This should have a place to show the date, kind of work done, on what tooth, how much time was consumed, and what the money charge should be. He has the teeth numbered from the front ones in the middle around to the back, L (capital) indicates the upper jaw to the left, and R (capital) indicates the upper jaw to the right, small 1 the lower jaw left and r the lower jaw right. There should be a special column for the time expended and another for the amount charged. Perhaps also one for the cost of the material used, which is important when a gold filling is made or a gold crown put on. Get up such a card. Accounts not paid are indicated by a clip on top. How would you indicate the next date (automatically) when a collection reminder should be sent (Form 2). Cash received and paid out is recorded in a small cashbook (bound). Why is this better than looseleaf or cards? All money received is deposited in the bank. How can he find easily the totals for any period? With what book account must the bank totals agree as a check? How can he use the check stubs as a journal to show an analysis of how his money was paid out? EXERCISE 29 Systematizing a Grocery Store The old-fashioned grocer has an order book and a cash book. Charge accounts are entered in the order book, and every night he transfers them to his big ledger under the individual names. At the end of the week he goes through and copies off pages of the ledger in order to send out his bills. Many ledger pages belong to persons who have moved away, so he has to turn these over uselessly. Others buy so many items that accounts are always being transferred to new pages, and he has to look sometimes on SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE 251 four or five pages to find out items in one account. He makes change in the money drawer for all cash sales, and at night counts up what he has received and enters the amount in his cash book. When one of his clerks keeps some of the change he does not know it. Our first lessons will be upon the utility of the cash register, which the teacher will try to exhibit and explain from the printed matter supplied by the National Cash Register Co. of Dayton, Ohio, where he may write. EXERCISE 30 In place of the long order book and big ledger, we will give him the little hand order books with carbon sheet, one for every clerk. Show how this will save time. The original and the carbon copy are sent to the order filler, who looks up the goods and checks them off on both slips, putting in the prices. When the order is ready to go out the carbon copy is put with the goods and the original copy (which is clear and easy to read) is sent to the bookkeeper for billing. The bookkeeper has a typewriter and copies off the items on the slips so as to make an original bill and a carbon copy. The teacher will explain book typewriters and how they are used, and typewriter billing device*. The carbon copy if made loose is filed in a binder; or if made with a book typewriter it is already in its place in the book. Or the book- keeper simply copies off the slips on the billhead, fastens them together, and files them in a place where he can readily find them at short notice, enters the total in the general looseleaf ledger, and looks up the slips if there is any dispute about items. In either case there is but one copying after the clerk has taken the order. Prepare dummy sheets to show the style and size of each of these different items, and if possible figure the cost of printing the different supplies needed. EXERCISE 31 . The old-fashioned grocer orders more goods when he thinks he needs them, keeps no record of his orders, but probably checks the goods received by the invoices that accompany them. These invoices he puts together in a file or drawer, and pays them when dunned or when he finds he has enough money in the bank. Devise an orderbook. with original and carbon, and a compact record book which will show accounts payable in summary. 252 SYSTEMATIZING AN OFFICE Describe the unpacking of goods, checliing, and transfer to store- room, and method of report to the bookkeeper. EXERCISE 32 Work out a perpetual inventory for a retail grocer. What size of cards would you choose for him? It would cost too much to enter it on the proper card in the office every time a pound of sugar was sold or a can of tomatoes sent out. On cards in the office we enter the totals received when stock comes in on order. If the stock is kept in a stock-room and sold from samples, a card is tied to each sample. On this^ card are rows of numbers from one to 30, perhaps, or to 100. Under the proper number showing the total stock at start a date is entered, which says that there were 72 cans of tomatoes in stock on that date. Each time a can is sold the clerk marks 1 in a blank space, beginning with No. 1. When all the blank spaces up to 72 have been marked, all the stock has been sold. When the clerk sees that only one dozen cans are left on hand he ties a red tag to the sample with the other card, and the buyer sees what he needs to order. Or he may put out on the shelves one dozen of each kind, or whatever it may be, charging the display room with that number and crediting the stock room. Th€se lots are charged, but the clerks make no record of single sales, but only take what they need to fill orders and call for more when each lot is gone. The stockkeeper then gives notice when he has given out next to his last lot, or whatever it may be. Work out a practical inventory scheme for the retail grocer that will not take too much time to keep going, and will prevent stealing, and at the same time give him a chance to figure up his total stock on hand at short notice instead of making a day of it onee a year. Consider how to keep stock that does not move fast from being packed away in a dark corner f'^r years without being brought to notice. EXERCISE 33 Devise a system for the grocer to keep track of his advertis- ing so as to know whether it pays or not, not trying to go further than assurance that a sufficient number of persons have come to his store in reply to his advertising. Considering the grocery advertisements given in the Sheet of Specimen Advertisements in the Advertising Course, devise a jiroper SYSTEMATIZING AX OFFICE 253 card for clerks to keep track of calls from customers and sales on advertised goods. Then provide a summary card that will show the necessary permanent record, including the total number of all orders and the total amount of all orders for each week, to see whether the advertising causes a general increase in the business. EXERCISE S4 Suppose the grocer is on a rural free delivery route where he can reach farmers by telephone, makes his delivery by the mail wagon (private arrangements are permitted to the mail carriers on these routes), and works up business by writing and sending out circulars. Devise a system by which he will record all names of possible prospects, location, telephone number, and cost of mak- ing delivery by the mail man, following up by mail, and following up by telephone, with method of showing the returns from this department and judging whether it pays or not. Calls of these customers at the store should also be kept track of by some, device separate from the records of local advertising. EXERCISE 35 System for Selling Pianos on Installments. A music dealer is selling pianos on installments of $5 to $15 a month, according to the value of the piano, 'he installments ex- tending over two years or such a matter. Devise a system for him, remembering that the first payment is usually larger than the later installments, which may vary, and that it will frequently be necessary to write to delinquent customers in r^ard to install- ments overdue. Form 2 suggests a method of calling the account up automatically on a fixed day in the future if payment has not been made by that time, and avoiding going over all the accounts as when a regular ledger is used. 140 HOW TO DO BUSINESS BY LETTER CHAPTER XXII Customs and Regulations of the Post Office (Corrected to January 1, 1914.) Domestic mail matter is divided into four classes, and applies not only to all mail matter addressed to all parts of the United States and possessions, Porto Rico, Hawaii, Philippine Islands, U. S. Postal Station at Shanghai, China, and Panama Canal Zone, but also to matter addressed to Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and the Republic of Panama, and now Newfoundland, The rates are as follows: FIRST CLASS — Letters, including all sealed packages and unsealed packages containing writing of any kind except the name and address of the person addressed, the name and ad- dress of the sender, and certain general directions and inscrip- tions not in the nature of personal correspondence, 2c for each ounce or fraction thereof, limit of weight four pounds. Drop Letters, to be delivered at postoffice where mailed, not by carrier or at a carrier office, rate Ic for each ounce or fraction thereof. Postal Cards furnished by the government, Ic each, 2c for double or reply cards. Post Cards, when of cardboard similar in weight and tex- ture to the government card, not smaller than 2 15/16 by 4 5/8 inches nor larger than 3 9/16 by 5 9/16 inches, and bear- ing the words "Post Card" printed on the address side, Ic each by stamp affixed. REGULATIONS OF THE POST OFFICE 141 SECOND CLASS. Newspapers and periodicals bearing the statement "Entered as second-class matter at the postoffice at ," when mailed by the general public, Ic for each four ounces ; when mailed at the post office by the publisher or a news agent, Ic a pound; no limit of weight. THIRD CLASS. Books and all printed matter, including photographs and other pictures when reproduced by any mechanical process, rate Ic for each two ounces or fraction thereof; limit of weight four pounds, except in the case of a single book weighing more than that. FOURTH CLASS. Merchandise, Ic an oz. first 4 oz. ; by parcels post combined length and girth not over 72 inches. 5c first pound, Ic add'l 2 lbs. locally; in 150-mile zone (limit 20 lbs.) 5c and Ic, increasing (limit 11 lbs.) in 300, 600, 1,000, 1,400, and 1,800 mile zones to 12c a lb. Insurance, 5c up to $25, 10c to $50. C. O. D. privilege extra. Open to Inspection. All matter of the second, third, and fourth classes must be so wrapped that the contents of the package can be easily inspected by the post office officials. Permitted Writing. In the case of second, third, and fourth class matter it is permissible to write both on the article and on the wrapper the name and address of sender, as well as the name and address of the person addressed, such general directions as "Personal," "Sample copy," "Marked copy," "Please forward," etc., a simple dedication or inscription in a book not in the nature of personal correspondence, or to in- dorse a card with "Merry Christmas," "Happy New Year," "Best Wishes," or the like; but not directions to the person addressed, such as "Please hang up" (on a poster advertise- ment), "Please distribute" (on circular matter), or the like. Printers' proofs w4th corrections marked upon them, either alone or accompanied by the original manuscript, may be sent at the third class rate. Penalty for Unauthorized Writing. There is a penalty of $10 for attempting to send as second, third, or fourth class 142 HOW TO DO BUSINESS BY LETTER matter anything bearing writing except as specifically author- ized by law. Prepayment. At least 2c must be prepaid on letters, and the full amount of postage on second, third, and fourth class matter. If postage on letters is deficient it will be collected at destination. If postage on matter of other classes is de- ficient, the sender, if his name appears, or else the person ad- dressed, will be notified and matter will be held until deficient postage is sent. Foreign Postage Foreign mail matter to countries in the Universal Postal Union is divided differently from domestic matter. Letters (including packages of merchandise not admissi- ble as ''samples" or under parcels post arrangements, as there is no regular foreign merchandise rate), 5c for the first ounce or fraction thereof and 3c for each subsequent ounce or frac- tion thereof; no limit of weight. Great Britain, Newfound- land, and Germany (latter in direct German steamers only), 2c each ounce or fraction. Postal cards, each 2c. Printed Matter. Rate Ic for each two ounces or fraction thereof ; limit of weight four pounds and six ounces. Commercial Papers, including book manuscripts, deeds, receipts, and other formal written documents not in the na- ture of personal correspondence, rate 5c for the first ten ounces and Ic for each two ounces thereafter; limit of weight four pounds and six ounces. Samples. Single articles of merchandise sent as genuine samples from merchants or manufacturers, to promote busi- ness, rate 2c for the first four ounces or fraction thereof, and Ic for each subsequent two ounces; limit of weight 12 ounces. Registration fee on letters or other articles, 10c. THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. JAN 25 1936 RECD LD .lUN 2 4 1959 aUL 281fl 32 W ^^ ^^ t^ >^;»? RECD LD OCT ^4 1937 (CT3 '^3^1 m t - f-, ^^^ 2 1983 2 fi iL>;Y >JSf. l ec'J ci r c. MAR 1 1083 Stn 19 4 9 ISMaySiLP DEC 22 1986 ^ AUTOOfScKC 5*86 ^'Sjlj... i. ' jm'& "i^\^^^ uat m 2.0 'QO LD 21-100m-7,'33 VC 24837 KNEBAL UBBARY-U.C. BEBKELEY II BDDOfllSSfll 308409 - UNIVERSITY ^F CAUFORNIA UBRARY